Celtic Opinion: Hoops would commit a massive blunder by selling Jozo Simunovic
According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are in danger of losing Croatian centre-back Jozo Simunovic in the summer transfer window, with reports claiming that La Liga side Alaves are plotting a £4 million raid for the 24-year-old.
The Scottish Sun understands that Simunovic was also linked with a move to the Serie A with Torino back in 2016, only for the deal to collapse and for the player to stay put at Parkhead.
Simunovic, who joined Celtic from Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb back in 2015, has made a total of 109 appearances for the Hoops in all competitions till date, scoring 4 goals in the process.
The Croatian was down the pecking order under Brendan Rodgers, with the former manager preferring the pairing of Dedryck Boyata and Filip Benkovic at the heart of the defence, but the arrival of Neil Lennon has breathed life back into his career at Parkhead.
The 24-year-old established himself as a regular in the latter stages of the season, as Celtic cruised to their eighth straight domestic title.
The 6ft. 3 inches towering centre-back made a total of 29 appearances for Celtic in all competitions this season and his resurgence can be seen as one of the major positives from Lennon’s second spell at Parkhead as the manager.
The Croatian reminded the fans that his time at Celtic is not over by any means and he still has a lot to offer in relation to the club’s long-term plans.
In all honesty, the quoted £4 million bid from Alaves should come as a big surprise to the fans at Celtic. Simunovic might not have played regularly over the course of his stay at Parkhead but few can deny that he is a quality centre-back and certainly worth 2-3 times more than£4 million.
Given that he enjoyed a lot more first-team action under Lennon and impressed with his upturn of form, the Hoops could commit a massive blunder by letting him depart for a bargain fee.
To put things into perspective, parting ways with Jozo Simunovic could put Celtic in a precarious position defensively heading into the next campaign.
The Hoops are already under pressure to bring in defensive reinforcements and losing the Croatian would only compound their woes, as Lennon looks to bolster his ranks with some fresh additions at centre-back and right-back this summer.
Out-of-contract Belgian international centre-back Dedryck Boyata confirmed his departure from Parkhead after signing a long-term deal with Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin.
Filip Benkovic is also set to return to his parent club Leicester City upon the expiry of his loan spell, meaning that the Hoops would be restricted to Norwegian Kristoffer Ajer as the solitary centre-back option should Simunovic also depart the club.
Simunovic combines the virtues of an old-school centre-back and a modern-day ball-playing defender, and at 24, there is still plenty of time left for him to make significant improvements to his game.
The 24-year-old earned 45 caps for Croatia from U17 to U21 levels, and while he is yet to earn a senior international call-up, the towering centre-back has shown strong signs of excellence at Parkhead and one would expect him to reach his prime years over the next two or three seasons.
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Simunovic is likely to be a first-choice for Celtic next season and offloading him would make little sense given that they are already short of quality cover at the back. That said, they should keep hold of him at all costs.
