DEDRYCK BOYATA won’t be a Celtic player this time next year. He might not even be a Celtic player by the end of the month if his agent gets his way.

The outburst and flippant comment made by Boyata’s agent telling the media the two parties aren’t even in talks over a new deal will cast up some bad feeling which was put to the side after the summer break.

The window is open again, and Boyata’s agent is working his ticket. You have to come to the realisation at some point that he is doing so at the defender’s wish.

This puts Brendan Rodgers in another awkward situation BUT – if the two parties have ceased talking since their summer altercation, then there should be no doubt Celtic have been looking around for his replacement.

Celtic fans were bemused in the summer when Boyata came back from the World Cup coming into the last year of his Celtic deal, and the scouting system along with Brendan Rodgers didn’t have a Plan B in place should Boyata want out.

The same happened with Moussa Dembele, although he had to go after he pushed the envelope too far – yet there was no backup or list of strikers Celtic could go for.

This was ultimately to Celtic’s undoing in the final game before the winter break when they had no recognised striker on the park at Ibrox for most of the game.

If Rodgers again holds onto Boyata because we lack options after he signs a pre-contract somewhere else, it will be a sorry state of affairs and show once and for all our scouting system isn’t fit for purpose.

Lee Congerton has been tasked with finding new players and with fans increasingly becoming disillusioned with his lack of success – could it prove his demise?