Marvin Compper has listed several reasons as to why he was only handed one competitive appearance for Celtic.
Compper turned out to be one of the worst signings in modern Celtic history – but even at the time he joined, it felt a little strange.
The German was 32 at the point of the 2017/18 winter transfer window yet Brendan Rodgers was keen to splurge £1m to recruit him from RB Leipzig.
Compper joined but had to wait a couple of months before his full debut, which came against Greenock Morton in the Scottish Cup.
Celtic comfortably won the game 3-0 but at no point did anyone think it would be Compper’s first and last appearance for the Bhoys.
He would leave in the summer of 2019 after Neil Lennon returned to Parkhead as Celtic manager and joined MSV Duisburg back in Germany.
Marvin Compper’s four reasons for failed Celtic spell
Speaking to The Celtic Way, Compper relived his time at Celtic and explained that injury issues, competition for places, Rodgers’ style of play and new players arriving all combined to make the defender’s stint in Glasgow very difficult.
Compper revealed: “I was relieved and very happy that I’d finally gotten to touch the pitch in an official game and wear the kit. Unfortunately, it remained my only game at the club.
“To be honest, I was not coping well physically, and I had a lot of injury issues. By the time I had gotten a little bit of rhythm at that point, Celtic had already decided to stick with other players in the defence, which was understandable.
“If you cannot count on someone’s body to be a regular and consistent force in your team, then you have to move on, even if you have these players on a contract.
“Unfortunately, the Morton game remained my only appearance for the club, but I was very happy to have played on that day for Celtic. The first four, five months, they did not work out the way we had hoped.
“At that moment – with a player who is turning 33 years old and not getting any younger – the belief in the ability of my body to cope with the level of games and the rhythm that Brendan (Rodgers) was expecting wasn’t there anymore.
“That summer, the club told me that if I was open to a change, they would not stand in my way, but I didn’t want to give up like this.
“I told them ‘I’m going to stay and fight for my place’, but the club bringing in new players made this fight more difficult.”
Neil Lennon’s Celtic arrival gave Compper hope
Asked if the departure of Rodgers to Leicester City in 2019 gave him renewed optimism about getting some more minutes, Compper replied: “It did!
“At that time, I was playing some games for the reserves, and had some good performances under my belt, which displayed the physical stability that I was gaining back.
“Unfortunately, when you’re not in the plans of a club anymore, whether it was Brendan or later under Neil, then that’s that, which was completely understandable because of the first half of 2018.
“It was sad for me and my time at Celtic, but I completely understand.”
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