Bayer Leverkusen look to Celtic Women for new talent as history makers make an impact

Add as preferred source on Google

In all the excitement of waiting to see who Brendan Rodgers is looking to add to the Celtic team this summer, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there are other areas at the club that are doing business in the transfer window.

The Celtic Academy have been busy tying up some of the brightest talents to their first professional contracts as well as readying some of the youngsters for the US Summer Tour.

Celtic Women have also been hard at work as Elena Sadiku looks to add to her history-making Celtic squad from last season.

However, Sadiku will need to look to find a replacement for Shen Menglu as the Celtic winger leaves the club this summer to join Bayer Leverkusen.

Leverkusen nab Celtic history maker

Menglu joined Celtic in July 2023 and made over 40 appearances for the Women’s team as they won the first-ever SWPL title in their history.

Delighted at the signing, Leverkusen Sporting Director Achim Feifel, spoke about how his club have captured a player with ‘a lot of tactical flexibility’.

Feifel said [Bayer Leverkusen], “During her stints in Portugal and Scotland, she has already gained a lot of experience in Europe, although she is still a young player.

“She can play on both sides of the field and brings a lot of tactical flexibility in the defensive, but above all in the offensive.”

Menglu ready ‘to show my quality’

Shen is a Chinese international with three caps to her name. She made her debut on the 29th of October last year and at just 22, Menglu embarks on the next big chapter of her career and the former Celtic winger admits she can’t wait.

Menglu said of the move, “Leverkusen are a big name in football with a great history and great fans. I’d like to enjoy top football here.

“I’ve played in several countries. I want to show my quality at Leverkusen and help the team to score lots of goals.”

Menglu has signed a deal with the German club that will keep her at Leverkusen until 2026. As we wish her the best of luck on her new venture, Sadiku now has the task of finding a replacement for a player who played a huge part of Celtic’s title win last season.