Celtic sent out a celebratory tweet yesterday to highlight the fact that it was one year to the day since Jeremie Frimpong arrived at the club.
Frimpong, who signed from Manchester City last summer for a reported £350k (Scottish Sun), has been a rip-roaring success during his debut year in Scotland.
Despite arriving at the club as a youngster with a bright future, he threw himself into first-team contention out of nowhere and never looked back. Frimpong would end last season with 22 appearances and remains a constant in Neil Lennon’s matchday squads (Transfermarkt).
It’s proven to be an electric piece of business by the club. And reacting to the tweet from last night, supporters showered the love on the pacey Dutchman:
https://twitter.com/ClabbyDoo112/status/1301182510437732352
Will competition take Frimpong to the next level?
Frimpong had a stunning campaign last season, but there are plenty of aspects he’ll need to work on this year.
The outstanding spot is the fact that Frimpong only has three assists for the club. For an overlapping full-back, those figures will need to improve as it suggests there are improvements to be made with his final ball.
However, the key difference between this year and last year is that Frimpong finally has some genuine competition in Hatem Elhamed. With the Israeli injured for much of last season, it was clear Frimpong was never going to be challenged by the lesser-talented Moritz Bauer.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the former Man City youngster thrives under that pressure. He clearly comes across as a personality that enjoys a challenge, and that’s what he’s got in the big Israeli.
But looking back to last season, Frimpong has just had the year of his dreams. From an unknown product down south to a first-team regular at one of the most popular clubs in the world – it’s amazing what a year can do for you in football.
All eyes are now on whether he can fend off the challenge of Elhamed to hold down that right-back spot. So long as both men push each other to the limit, that can only be a good thing for Celtic.
In other news, a former Lennoxtown graduate looks set to turn down a move to League One.
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