Club Brugge invested heavily in the arrival of Dedryck Boyata, around one and a half million euros net per year, but since 2022 the defender has rarely, if ever, been able to convince.
Today, Boyata’s story at Club Brugge seems to be completely written. Although there was interest from other clubs in January, such as Clermont Foot and Oud-Heverlee Leuven, Boyata held on to his high salary, making a departure difficult.
He still has a contract for one season, but no future in Bruges.
Degryse already predicted it in 2022: “Bizarre transfer”
Vincent Mannaert and Bart Verhaeghe have invested significantly to bring Dedryck Boyata to the Jan Breydel Stadium during the 2022 summer mercato.
The defender is one of the club’s top earners with an annual salary of one and a half million euros net, but his sporting contribution has clearly been missing since 2022. From the start, many questions were raised as to whether Boyata’s arrival would be worth such a large investment.
At Hertha BSC had become completely redundant, and Fredi Bobic, director at Hertha, even concluded that Boyata no longer added anything to the team. “That’s not really a big injection of quality,” said Marc Degryse, just announcing the arrival of Boyata The last news.
The analyst already regarded Boyata as a doubtful case instead of an added value at international level. “If you aspire to hibernate in the Champions League, Boyata is a bizarre transfer. He doesn’t guarantee you much improvement.”
At the end of the previous season, Boyata initially seemed to be allowed to leave West Flanders, but, partly motivated by financial motives, it was ultimately decided to give him an ultimate second chance.
Deila was supposed to rehabilitate Boyata but failed
Dedryck Boyata once again failed to impress in the Club Brugge shirt this season, mainly due to persistent injuries and setbacks that kept him on the sidelines for almost the entire 2023 calendar year. That prevented him from reaching his top level.
The arrival of Ronny Deila, who Boyata still knows from their joint period at Celtic Glasgow, as the new coach of Club Brugge was to herald the turning point for the experienced defender.
During the previous mid-season, the Norwegian coach emphatically stated that he was still counting on Boyata. “I know Boyata from Celtic, where I managed him for a season. Six months ago he was still fighting for selection for the World Cup. So he certainly has quality. Boyata also feels good under the Norwegian coach.
“He knows me well,” Boyata said himself. “And above all, I know what level I can reach. From the moment he came here, he has been very positive towards me.” In this way, Boyata seemed on his way to becoming the new defender that Club Brugge was looking for last summer.
Boyata disappoints time and time again at Club Brugge
After some few promising performances, Dedryck Boyata’s form quickly went downhill again this season. Together with Jorne Spileers he made a mistake with the second goal in the match against Osasuna.
“The central pair of Spileers & Boyata defended at Conference League level. Unforgivable,” wrote The last news. Also in the match against AA Gent, in which he was again in the starting line-up, he did not show himself to be the player he once was at Celtic and in the Bundesliga.
“It is commendable that trainer Ronny Deila has rediscovered the long-lost Dedryck Boyata. However, the former Red Devil is not the leader of the defense that Club needs,” he said The newspapaer.
In a fourteen-minute substitute against Anderlecht, Boyata stood out by playing a hospital ball into the feet of Anders Dreyer, fortunately without consequences. “Boyata is not a certainty, given his level of form and physical preparedness over the past twelve months,” said The last news fixed
After a handful of substitute appearances, Boyata was allowed to start in the match against Sint-Truiden, but there too he showed disappointing performances. Even at a slow pace, he was sloppy in playing football and could not hide his lack of match rhythm.
“A swimming Boyata”, said Marc Degryse, was then replaced during half time.
Prestige transfer Club Brugge ends disastrously
The situation of the 31-time Red Devil is worrying and seems hopeless at Club Brugge. In the calendar year 2024, Dedryck Boyata played just 19 minutes for Club Brugge and he barely comes off the bench.
Even during the heavy injury burden in defense, he is no longer counted on. “It increasingly appears that his story was written at Club Brugge,” he wrote The newspapaer.
Young Joel Ordonez even passed him in the hierarchy in central defense. “He already knows what time it is,” he noted The last news on. “Dedryck Boyata seems written off at the age of 32,” he said HNB.
Anderlecht has Jan Vertonghen, Antwerp Toby Alderweireld, Club Boyata, prestige transfers from Belgian clubs with (former) Red Devils who have experience in the biggest competitions.
But unlike Vertonghen and Alderweireld, Boyata has never convinced.
Big earner Boyata does not necessarily want to leave Club Brugge
Club Brugge had opportunities to release him last winter, but Dedryck Boyata was still kept on board. “There are always phone calls, Dedryck remains an interesting player,” father Bienvenu said in January The newspapaer.
However, Club Brugge chose to keep Boyata because the choice in central defense was not wide enough. According to The newspapaer Dedryck Boyata is open to a new club, but on the other hand he did not want to compromise (too much) on his generous salary at Club Brugge – reportedly about one and a half million euros net per year.
Last winter, Clermont Foot and Oud-Heverlee Leuven inquired about the terms of the 33-year-old defender, but Boyata himself declined these options. Obviously, Clermont and OHL cannot offer the same conditions that he currently deserves at Club Brugge.
We’ll have to wait and see whether Boyata is willing to move to another club next summer. He still has a (heavy) contract for one season with Club Brugge.
Tags: Total disaster Club Brugge prestige transfer ends fiasco
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