Ever since the rumours of Celtics interest in Hayes started to circulate, the prospect of the Irish winger pulling on the Hoops has been met with howls of derision by significant sections of the support across social media. For some he’s just “too old”, others decrying his goalscoring record isn’t good enough and he isn’t an improvement on the talent we already have in the squad. Are these criticisms valid? Or should we trust that if Rodgers is targeting Hayes he knows what he’s doing?
Firstly, the topic of age – Hayes is currently 29 and he will turn 30 before the commencement of the new SPFL season. This number is particularly concerning when you take into account that Hayes is a winger and a lot of his game is based on pace and athleticism. However, it’s important to understand that age doesn’t work the same for every player, some player’s bodies start to fall apart around 29 while others can go on far longer. If Hayes can get himself in and about Rodgers training routine which has done wonders in extending the careers of players like Brown, his prime might be able to last a little longer than you’d initially think.
Perhaps the most concerning thing about his age is that there will be little to no sell on value but if Rodgers is intent on making Celtic more than just a selling club, veteran players who can come in and do a job will be vital to the growth of the team.
Next, his goalscoring record. Though Hayes’s goalscoring record isn’t exactly dazzling when viewed in totality (47 goals in 289 games) last year was his best in Aberdeen colours notching 9 goals in 32 appearances. This is no bad return for a winger, in the cup final Hayes was able to show that his talents went beyond just sticking the ball in the back of the net, he was able showed great tenacity in his pressing and a willingness to track runners both desirable traits in Rodgers system. On top of this, it’d be fair to assume that there will be a great opportunity for his goals to games ratio to improve next year if he’s in the hoops due to the huge amount of chances that Celtic have shown they are able to create on a game to game basis.
Lastly, is the idea that Hayes isn’t an improvement on what’s already in the squad. He certainly doesn’t have the talent level of Sinclair or Roberts, there is no denying that. However, his performances last year did show he has the ability to match and exceed the production of players like Forrest and Gary Mackay Steven. It’d be doing Hayes a disservice to compare him to upper echelon talent but Rodgers high pressure, high running style is very demanding on his players – towards the end of the season there was noticeable signs of fatigue in players like Sinclair, having someone like Hayes who can come in and produce would do wonders for helping to keep the squad fresh and energised.
If Hayes was Celtics marquee summer signing the support would be understandably upset. However, a championship squad is not just made up of stars, if we are going to launch a sustained challenge on multiple fronts we’ll need solid contributions from bit part players and Hayes is more than capable of fitting that bill. If Hayes can come into Celtic and provide a valuable contribution in 10 to 15 games over the next couple of years that £1,000,000 price tag will have proved well worth the money.
JAMES JOHNSTONE
