Hayes targeting Europe as Celts set sights on Duverne
Celtic ‘Invincible’ Boyata is urged by countryman Valgaeren to aim even higher and target a place in a Belgium team heading for the ultimate glory at Russia 2018
NEW Celtic signing Jonny Hayes last night set his sights on the Champions League, as reports in France linked the Parkhead club with a £4.8million move for Lens defender Jean-Kevin Duverne.
Irish winger Hayes has become Brendan Rodgers’ first recruit of the summer for a fee in excess of £1m, while midfielder Ryan Christie, who spent the second half of last season at Pittodrie, has moved the other way on a season-long loan.
‘You can’t get away from the Champions League,’ said Hayes, who has signed a three-year deal.
‘Whether you’re a football fan or not, everybody knows about the atmosphere of Champions League nights at Celtic Park. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a part of that.’
Hayes, 29, joins Celtic after spending five years at Pittodrie and links up with Rodgers for the second time, the pair having worked together at Reading when the player was still a teenager.
While Hayes is a tried and tested Premiership operator, Duverne is a far rawer proposition. The 19-year-old played 37 times in the French second tier last season as Lens missed out on promotion to Ligue 1 by a point.
Rodgers is in the market for defensive reinforcements this summer and, with Jozo Simunovic attracting interest from a number of clubs, an investment in Duverne could hold appeal.
AS the last Belgian to win a Treble with Celtic, Joos Valgaeren can only advise Dedryck Boyata to savour an achievement that he may never repeat. Equally, he would also encourage the former Manchester City defender to set his sights on something much bigger. Valgaeren is convinced that a squad he describes as the ‘best ever’ generation of Belgian players has a shot at landing the World Cup next summer.
He doubts that Boyata has the capacity to barge his way past a formidable cast of central defensive talent and into Roberto Martinez’s starting XI — but he does see the 26-year-old making the squad that travels to Russia.
Boyata ended the domestic season by lifting the Scottish Cup at Hampden and then travelled to his home country where he was a squad member for the friendly against the Czech Republic and qualifying tie in Estonia.
He didn’t manage to add to his three full caps but Valgaeren argues that is no disgrace. Capped 19 times during his own career, the 41-year-old admits the ante has been upped by a special batch of players, not least in his old position of central defence.
‘I suppose they have some faith in Boyata but the problem he faces is that the quality of the players in the Belgium squad is so high,’ said Valgaeren.
‘If everybody is fit then it is going to be incredibly tough. You have Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Vincent Kompany, too.
‘You have to be very strong, a world-class performer if you want to be a certainty to play in that defence with those names.
‘It’s quite difficult if you play at Celtic. If you’re up against players from Spurs and Manchester City then it’s maybe at a different level. But he is always going to be in squads. He is always going to be used.’
A year ago, such a scenario looked unlikely for Boyata.
A £1.5million buy from City in 2015, the defender arrived at Parkhead with plenty raw talent but next to no first-team experience.
As a consequence he struggled to adapt to the pressures and his confidence looked shot long before his hamstring gave way in a Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers, ruling him out for months.
The arrival of Brendan Rodgers rejuvenated Celtic and stirred something inside Boyata. Initially left to get fit by his new manager, he emerged after the winter break to play an integral role in the club’s Premiership and cup successes.
‘Winning the Treble with Celtic is a dream come true — I know because I did it myself,’ says Valgaeren (right), who in 2001 won all three domestic
competitions under the guidance of Martin O’Neill. ‘It can happen and so can winning the World Cup. Why not?’
‘I speak as a supporter of Belgium, of course, but I think we can win the World Cup. Let’s be honest about that. If you see the players we have, we can do it.
‘I’m not saying we will win the World Cup but that has to be the ambition.
‘We are capable of winning every single game. With that mentality, talent and capability, it’s possible.
‘Look at the goalkeeper — Courtois. Not bad. Alderweireld and Vertonghen have had really good seasons at Spurs.
‘Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard in midfield. Lukaku up front. Carrasco at Atletico Madrid, too. Mousa Dembele. You can name 25 players.
‘It’s our best squad of all time. I suppose that 20 years ago there was a good system and that
development is working well. There are more talents to come too.’ Kompany captained Belgium in the 2-0 win over Estonia that eased the Group H leaders close to booking a place in Russia. Recently returned from injury, Kompany is viewed as a colossus by both club and country but Valgaeren believes doubts persist. ‘I don’t know if Martinez is fully confident in the fitness of Kompany,’ he explains. ‘Does he believe he can stay fit for a full tournament? Maybe he
You have to be a very strong, world-class performer if you want to play in that defence with those names. But he is close, no doubt
doesn’t believe that and then perhaps that gives Boyata a chance to play.
‘He is close. There is no doubt about that.
‘And the standard at Celtic is high. It might not be Tottenham or Manchester City but the pressure is there because you are playing a cup game every week.
‘The expectations are not easy to meet. Celtic have to win every week and a clean sheet is seen as normal.
‘If you are going to become a good player, a pick for the Belgium national squad, then you need to have that ability to handle pressure.
‘So being at Celtic is going to help him. He will always be expected to win, keep a clean sheet and be on top of his direct opponent. Managers are looking for that.’
Valgaeren was part of the first wave of O’Neill signings and made his £3.5m switch from Roda on the back of his performances for Belgium at Euro 2000.
He went on to form a solid threeman defence alongside Johan Mjallby and Bobo Balde, the combination that started in the club’s UEFA Cup final defeat against Porto in 2003.
He left after five years but is far from estranged. He was back in Glasgow on cup final weekend to participate in an All-Star match in aid of the Celtic Foundation.
Now resident back in Belgium and working as a surveyor for a Flemish water treatment company, the experience of playing in front of 60,000 supporters brought some special memories flooding back.
‘It’s incredible that occasions like that exist, it’s unique,’ he reflects. ‘All the players like to come back and talk about the old times and we get to help people in need at the same time.
‘When I arrived here to play, Rangers had held the upper hand for a couple of seasons previously.
‘We managed to do the Treble and it was something special.
‘I was in Scotland five years. Those were the best years.
‘I have three kids, two boys who were born in Glasgow, so I will have a lifetime connection with the city.
‘After football, I went back to university and got my degree.
‘Now I’m working on a big project to clean rivers.
‘It’s good work but you have to enjoy playing while you can. These Celtic players have won a Treble and that’s special — not something that is going to happen every five or six years.’
‘I THINK BELGIUM CAN WIN THE WORLD CUP. WHY NOT? LET’S BE HONEST, IF YOU SEE THE PLAYERS WE HAVE, WE CAN DO IT. THAT HAS TO BE THE AMBITION’