Do Celtic even need Filip Benkovic in January?

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Expect the idea of Filip Benkovic to Celtic to be ramped up over the next several weeks.

That’s because the closer we get to January, the more his future will be up in the air. And Brendan Rodgers didn’t help that today either. He’s already said in the Daily Record today that he’ll be open to him leaving on loan in January.

Rodgers also stated that the Croatian youngster will continue to play with the development side. That’s not where he would’ve envisioned himself playing when he went back to the King Power Stadium over the summer.

So the option is there for Celtic to go for him in the winter window and try to strengthen their backline, but is this even a deal worth doing?

Celtic don’t need Benkovic – squad depth is positive enough

If Benkovic is going to arrive at Parkhead in January, it won’t be because he’s going to play back-up to Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer. There would be no point in Rodgers sending him up here if he wasn’t going to play regularly.

And what would be the point in us breaking up that partnership in the first place? Benkovic hasn’t proven that he’s any better than the two we currently have in place. Considering Benko would also only be here until the end of the season, it makes no sense to break up the duo for a few months.

And what would the loan signing of Benkovic mean for Jozo Simunovic? The Bosnian internationalist has been injured this season, but he’s still here for a long time and remains first reserve. Putting Benkovic ahead of him for a few months also wouldn’t be ideal for him.

There are many more important positions in the squad to strengthen than centre-back. Hatem Abd Elhamed and Nir Bitton can also play there if necessary. We have plenty of options in that department as it is.

Just because Rodgers has put him in the shop window, it doesn’t mean that we need to buy him or take him on loan. Times have changed at Parkhead since the summer. No longer do we need to beg someone for a centre-back or right-back.

If, for example, Benkovic was available to buy outright, that would change things. But for now, it appears he’s only available for a loan deal, and that’s not something we need to push over the line.