Boyata could hang on with McKenna interest ended

THIS time a week ago I think we would all have expected Dedryck Boyata to be on his way out of Celtic.

But I cannot say that I am entirely sure now.

With Celtic ending their interest in Scott McKenna – Aberdeen were never going to sell their star asset to one of their main rivals – it means there is very little time if he were to leave the club for Celtic to source a replacement.

Boyata (right) wasn’t on the plane yesterday to Lithuania because he “wasn’t ready”, which just doesn’t sit well with anyone.

Inevitably it lends itself to immediate suspicions that a move for the player is in the offing but I just don’t know that Celtic can allow him to go unless they can be sure that they will get another player in on time.

And I don’t know how awkward that will be for the player. But he is paid to do a job and if he needs to lie on the bed he made, then so be it. I am led to believe that he spoke with Scott Brown and Brendan Rodgers to smooth the waters but I would guess that came before yesterday’s call not to board the plane.

If the club keep him then they will be keeping him to play. Ultimately he has to take responsibility for how he behaved and answer to his team-mates. The long and shortof it is that if you can’t

get someone else in, you can’t let someone go.

Celtic know they are short in that department which is why they tried to get McKenna in.

But Aberdeen would have been looking for crazy money for the defender. Celtic would have had to pay a premium to get the lad into the club and at this point in time I’m not sure if they feel that is a price worth playing.

I like McKenna as a player. He caught my eye when I watched Aberdeen against Burnley. I think he is an old-fashioned centre-half with a lot of potential and very much in the mould of a player that Celtic need.

If the window closes without further new additions I think there will be a level of disappointment because everyone expected that there would be more to follow after the club secured Odsonne Edouard.

I think the obvious conclusion is that the players Celtic have tried to bring in just haven’t come off. If they need to revisit some of those targets now, their position is undermined by the fact clubs and agents will get a whiff of desperation and look to up their price.

The other issue now, too, is that there is no carrot of Champions League football with which to entice players to Celtic. I don’t think you can underestimate the pulling power of that.

At the same time, though, this is where Celtic are.

The Europa League doesn’t have the same level of glamour of the financial rewards of the Champions League but at the same time there are some excellent teams in it.

I often think that there is a malaise felt across the club, a kind of hangover, if you don’t make it into the Champions League but the very fact that there is still a qualifier to negotiate in order to get Europa League football means that Celtic don’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves.

This is where they need to regroup now and go out and get a positive result. It’s a busy couple of weeks coming up and weeks that will be crucial to the season.