Patrick Berg is adamant that fellow countryman and Celtic starlet Odin Thiago Holm will be sold on for so much more money than the club paid for him in the summer.
Holm is only 20 but was picked up by Brendan Rodgers from Valerenga for a fee of £2.6m. The attacking midfielder was brought to Celtic Park with big expectations but thus far has yet to really showcase the talent he possesses.
The Norwegian appeared in three of Celtic’s first four Scottish Premiership games this season amid an injury crisis. He was barely seen again until the end of November when he made a string of substitute appearances.
But Rodgers has decided not to include Holm in his last six league matchday squads as the youngster continues to go through a period of uncertainty.
He was also sent off in the Champions League against Feyenoord which proved to be a setback. However, Berg thinks the future is a bright one for Celtic with Holm in their ranks.
The 26-year-old Bodo Glimt defensive midfielder has followed Holm’s progress carefully and believes he will eventually come good with the Hoops and be sold on for huge money in the future.
Patrick Berg on Odin Thiago Holm
Patrick Berg was speaking to the Daily Record and said of Odin Thiago Holm: “I would say Odin is a good investment and he’ll be worth a lot of money in the future.
“That’s the thing about these Norwegian talents. They are not so expensive if you pick them up early. But let’s just say Odin has a couple of good seasons for Celtic, I’ve got no doubt they will be able to sell him on for a lot more.
“It’s like my good friend Stefan (Johansen). It was a similar situation as Celtic got him relatively cheaply, he did well for the club and they eventually sold him on to Fulham, where he did very well. I’m sure Odin could do the same. Although if he chooses to stay a long time I am sure that would be good as well, as Celtic are a great club.
“I played against him a lot of times when he was young in Norway. We could see early on he was an exceptional talent. He broke on to the scene really young. He grew up in Trondheim which has Rosenborg, one of the biggest teams in Norway, but he chose to move to a different club to make his way.
“He did very well there and it was always going to be a matter of time before a big club picked him up. I was really happy for him to get the move to Celtic – it’s a massive club.”
At the moment, Holm has a lot of work to do at Celtic and it makes Berg’s claim about how much Celtic could rake in for him in the future a bold one.
But time is on Holm’s hand and you’d like to think Rodgers will facilitate that time given the money spent on the the 20-year-old.
As Berg says, there is a clear midfield talent in there and Celtic fans just hope it can be unleashed sooner rather than later.
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