Former Celtic centre-back Efe Ambrose has touched on his failed spell at Derby County under Frank Lampard.
Ambrose is finally back in Scotland after signing a deal with Livingston. It’s a stunning coup for the Lions, who now instantly have one of the best defenders in the country playing for them.
However, Ambrose arrives in West Lothian after a disappointing three-month stint down in England with Derby. The Nigerian signed for the Championship side when Lampard was in charge 12 months ago. Yet three months later he departed Pride Park without making an appearance (Transfermarkt).
And as he returned to Scottish football today, Ambrose spoke in the Daily Record about his time in England.
“It wasn’t a disappointment because it was just three months. It wasn’t a disappointment because it was just three months.
“But what I got from there – the players, the coaching staff, the training – was massive and I enjoyed my time there. I never regretted the move.
“I have been training morning and evening back at home with my local team and they trusted me with that. I am not coming in for a pre-season, I am ready to go.”
Celtic’s trip to Livingston now looks a tad harder
Ambrose has always been one to perform superbly well against Celtic since he left Parkhead in 2017. After moving to Hibernian, the centre-back came up against us on 7 occasions. He managed two wins and two draws in that run, and even managed to bag a goal against us in 2017 too.
The Tony Macaroni Arena has been difficult enough without Ambrose joining Livi. Everything from the tightness of the stadium, the astroturf pitch, and the sheer aggression of the Livingston side – it’s never a pleasant venue to go.
Ambrose undoubtedly adds another tough obstacle into the mix for us on March 4th. However, this is a Celtic team that have risen to challenge after challenge this season. There’s certainly no fear, but there is respect for Ambrose’s traits.
As for his time in England, it was a surprise to see Derby fail to give him a single appearance. When Ambrose signed for the Rams, he stated that he signed because of Lampard (Goal). However, he didn’t place much faith in the former Celtic man.
It’s good to see him back in Scotland however. He’s still too good a player to not be playing regularly in a competitive league. Livingston can offer him that. Here’s hoping he doesn’t get a dream start against us next month though!
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