As Celtic continue to motor along without the required centre-back cover we need, Filip Benkovic may just be the solution we’re after.
The Croatian is of course best known to Parkhead fans due to his loan spell at the club during the 2018/19 campaign. Benkovic made 27 appearances during that year under both Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon respectively (Transfermarkt).
During that spell, he became something of a cult-hero. Benkovic was raw, but he showed good distribution, strength in the challenge as well as a dominance in his aerial duels. The only thing that seriously set him back at Celtic was injuries picked up during the second half of the year.
Had it not been for those ankle knocks, the Croat likely would’ve been in the Celtic side more regularly. Indeed, when Lennon was appointed in February, Benkovic would only go on to make four more appearances. The Hoops manager instead decided to go with a pairing of Dedryck Boyata and Kristoffer Ajer.
However, Benkovic appears to be over those injury concerns. He was fit for the entirety of his latest loan spell with Bristol City. He was only selected 10 times, but that wasn’t due to his unavailability (Transfermarkt).
As for why he may have dropped down the pecking order with Bristol, it’s irrelevant. We all know what Benkovic can provide, and we have a big Jozo Simunovic-shaped hole in the centre of our defence too.
A move to Parkhead would be good for Benko
As of right now, the player is back with Leicester City. His chances there don’t look like improving this season given his spell at Bristol was hardly the resounding success he would’ve been after.
When Benkovic left Celtic, he was extremely open-minded about the prospect of coming back for another year (Scottish Sun). Given the fact his injury problems appear to be behind him, this could be one to revisit given we’re now entering the most important year for the club since we stopped the 10 back in 1998.
The argument against this will be that it’s another loan deal. Leicester spent £13m on the player’s services back in the summer of 2018 (Sky Sports), so a permanent would likely be out of the question. But we know Benkovic wouldn’t struggle to settle in Scotland, so that would be a big fear out of the window.
Granted, Lennon rarely featured him for whatever reason. However, Benkovic said when he left that the current Hoops manager wanted him for another year (Scottish Sun). Now would be the perfect opportunity to strike again.
It’s difficult to see where the negatives in this potential deal come from. As of right now, there are no signs or speculation linking Celtic with a return for Benkovic. But perhaps there should be given our current situation at the back.
In other news, Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer appeared committed to the cause despite speculation surrounding his departure from the club.
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