Celtic UECL rivals Bodo/Glimt rocked as another big-name player wants out

By David Walton

December 30, 2021

Bodo/Glimt have been left rattled with the news that key player Ola Solbakken wants out just 2 months away from their meeting with Celtic.

The Norwegian champions have already lost key talents Patrick Berg and Erik Botheim in recent weeks after securing their second consecutive league title.

And now it appears that key attacking threat Solbakken, who bagged 6 goals and 6 assists in 28 appearances this term [Transfermarkt], will likely be the next one out the door.

As quoted by Norwegian outlet Tronderbladet, Solbakken said: “We have decided that it is not relevant to extend with Bodo/Glimt. We have informed the club about this. Now they have two windows to sell me on. Either this winter or in the summer. If not, I will go for free after next season.”

The comments have been met with a mixed reaction in Norway, with ex-players and media figures either backing or questioning the player’s logic [Avisa Nordland].

Solbakken is currently contracted to Bodo/Glimt until December 2022, meaning now could be the club’s final opportunity to get a meaningful fee for the player.

Bodo/Glimt have a major rebuild on their hands before Celtic crunch

Bodo boss Kjetil Knutsen has made his reputation off of building impressive teams with his current club with not a lot of money to work with.

Given the fees being raked in for some of their top stars this winter, however, he should have some decent sums of cash to work with before his team face Celtic in February. It’s likely we’ll see a fairly different Bodo/Glimt XI to the one that ended the Eliteserian season just over a fortnight ago.

And given Solbakken’s comments, it makes sense for him to join Berg and Botheim out the exit door. As of this point, it looks next to pointless for the Norwegians to hang onto their talented talisman.

If Bodo/Glimt wait until the summer window, they won’t get anywhere near what they want for him. He’ll be free to leave for nothing in just several months time and that massively degrades his valuation.

Even now, with the Norwegian champions stalling until the final 12 months of his contract, his value has already lessened. Think of the cut-price deals Celtic had to do for the likes of Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard. Players who left for sums nowhere near their true valuation. That’s where Bodo/Glimt are at with Solbakken.

So it’ll be interesting to see how Knutsen rebuilds his team in the coming months. Replacing the players they’ve lost won’t be routine, and if Solbakken is added to the mix, it only makes his job even harder.

In other news, The Celtic player who thought his Parkhead career was over just months ago