DON’T SIGN HIM DON’T SELL HIM
Sutton insists Boyata is Celtic’s best defender but Gers target Laff could upset dressing room
CHRIS SUTTON has advice for Old Firm bosses Steven Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers – forget Kyle Lafferty and don’t dare ditch Dedryck Boyata. Record Sport
The columnist and BT Sport pundit has also had a pop at Gary Neville for his digs at Stephen Robinson – and even Brexiteer Boris Johnson!
Sutton believes Gerrard risks unsettling his new-look squad by snapping up controversial Northern Irish striker Lafferty from Hearts.
But he has also urged Celtic boss Rodgers to hold on to Boyata in case Rangers mount a title challenge, even if it means running the risk of losing him on a free next summer.
Sutton, right, said: “The signing of Lafferty would be underwhelming and he’s not as good as Alfredo Morelos. I know Morelos is criticised for his finishing but he’s still a handful.
“Lafferty is a bit of a nutter at times and although he may turn out to be a good influence, why would you throw a bit of a time bomb into the dressing room at this stage when everything is going smoothly?
“Lafferty is the type of player who has to play regularly and he has a better chance of doing that at Hearts than Rangers. It won’t click into place for Steven Gerrard overnight, we’ll be better able to judge him at Christmas.
“Deep down he and Gary McAllister will want to win the league – and believe they can do it.
“Celtic hold all the aces but they still need to strengthen in the central-defensive area. I hope Kristoffer Ajer and Jack Hendry enjoy fantastic careers at Celtic but they’re not the finished article.
“Celtic must keep Boyata. Yes, I have criticised his decision-making but he had a good World Cup with Belgium and is Celtic’s best defender.
“Why would you want to get rid of him when you don’t know what the challenge from Rangers will be like yet?
“I understand Celtic are a selling club but in the Champions League they’ve also got to draw a line and say they want to compete.
“They can’t keep doing that if they sell their best players. If they don’t have a replacement for Boyata, hang on to him. I believe Celtic will get past Rosenborg but I’m still not convinced by them defensively in European terms and that’s a conundrum Brendan must deal with.
“In the last couple of years they have patched up their defence and done well to qualify but they were found wanting defensively last season.” Record Sutton said in Sport
recently he has been troubled by the nature of Rodgers’s pre-season comments on recruitment, suggesting the manager may not enjoy the last say on signings.
He added: “Brendan didn’t seem happy after the Rosenborg game and I don’t know if he was laying down a bit of a challenge to Peter Lawwell. “The terminology was a little bit worrying if you were a Celtic fan, almost, ‘I want players in but for some reason it’s not happening’. Celtic need to strengthen defensively.” Sutton may have played the bulk of his career in England but a huge part of his heart remains in Scotland where he enjoyed six successful years with the Hoops. He has become a stout advocate for the Scottish game and has taken Neville to task after he criticised Well boss Robinson for saying Salford City “blew us away with money” in transfer dealings over a player.
Sutton said: “It’s about etiquette – Gary even described Boris Johnson and David Davis as a couple of muppets.
“I respect Gary but nothing Stephen said was untruthful. A lot of people speak blindly about Scottish football and don’t care about it.
“Their ignorance speaks volumes at times. Scottish football is an easy target down south but we know differently. There’s a feelgood factor around the game.
“We’re anticipating the most exciting season for many years. Scottish football is on the up.”
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