KV Oostende could make up to £7.1m of a profit on former Celtic defender Jack Hendry, with Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph reporting that they could sell him for a deal up to £8.6m.
It was reported earlier in the day that the Belgian club could offload the player to domestic rivals Club Brugge. This came after Premier League interest in the player earlier this summer [Daily Mail].
And Sky Sports man Joseph believes any deal could see the figure rise to £8.6m. Oostende only signed the player for £1.5m after a previous option-to-buy clause in his loan deal from last summer [Daily Record].
Hendry shone in Belgium during his season-long stint abroad. So much so that he was voted Belgium’s best defender. He also managed to make Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for Euro 2020.
However, after coming back to Parkhead in the summer, he immediately departed back to Oostende permanently. Now, it looks as though they’re set to reap the financial rewards of taking him back.
Celtic couldn’t do much to halt Jack Hendry to Oostende switch
Some will look at this potential deal and shake their heads. After all, considering he was our player only weeks ago, the fact we’re missing out on a potential big transfer fee looks poor on paper.
However, Celtic couldn’t do an awful lot more to keep Hendry in Glasgow. Nobody was asking for him to stay when he was shifted on loan last summer. The option-to-buy clause looked a good bit of business at the time.
Oostende deserve the rewards of developing him and helping him to reignite his career once again. It’s not as if he was ever going to get that chance at Celtic.
And in fairness, performing for Oostende is a different experience from having to do so at Celtic. The Hoops was always a step-up in class for him, and one he simply didn’t want to commit to for whatever reason.
Time will tell whether Hendry could’ve cut it at Celtic’s level. But Oostende are simply profiting from the fact he shone in Belgium. That doesn’t necessarily mean things would’ve been the same in Scotland.
So all the best to Hendry wherever he ends up. But did Celtic do the wrong thing at any point in this saga? Absolutely not.
In other news, Celtic announce departure of Leigh Griffiths to Dundee on loan
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