Has Marvin Compper become too much of a parody at Celtic

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Perhaps the biggest joke figure at Celtic these days is centre-back Marvin Compper.

The German defender arrived back in January 2018 to much excitement. Having had previous experience in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim respectively, Compper looked to have much to offer.

Yet fast forward 16 months, and he’s become one of the biggest jokes we’ve had at the club since Derk Boerrigter. Compper has managed just one solitary appearance. That was a Scottish Cup clash against Morton back in January 2018. Since then, he hasn’t been seen on the pitch.

It told the full story last week when Compper went up to collect his Premiership winner’s medal against Hearts. He didn’t play a single minute of football this season, yet got one of the biggest cheers from the crowd in ironic fashion. You can view that for yourself here.

His full time at Celtic has been nothing more than a parody. It’s got to the stage now where supporters aren’t even kept informed of whether Compper’s fit or not.

Lack of credibility has him dismissed

Compper still has another 12 months left on his contract. Anyone even being interested in him from January onward seems unlikely. Yet the sheer joke figure he has become means he has no credibility and therefore is dismissed as a squad option too.

Celtic are actually going through a bit of a defensive rebuild this summer. For any defender still at the club, they should view the departures of both Dedryck Boyata and Filip Benkovic as an opportunity to step up and impress. But do you even get the feeling of Compper would even get taken seriously?

He and Jack Hendry are the only alternatives outside of Kristoffer Ajer and Jozo Simunovic as it stands. Pre-season should therefore be looked at as a big chance. Perhaps even a final chance for Compper to make an impression.

But nobody can take the man seriously anymore. If he gets an opportunity to impress in pre-season, it’s going to take a lot more than a couple of friendly performances for the Celtic fans to see him as a contender for a first-team place.

Has the damage been done to Compper’s reputation? It certainly seems so, and given his experience, that’s a shame. The signing has been a disaster from the start, and the sooner he heads off the better.