Kasper Dolberg is very much a name of infamy among Celtic supporters.
The support spent much of last summer anticipating a big-name striker signing to replace Kyogo Furuhashi.
Shin Yamada didn’t appear to be the answer, before it suddenly emerged that Adam Idah was also set to leave the club.
Step in, Dolberg, who had just scored 34 goals in two years at Anderlecht.
💪 A 6 ft 2, varied defensive midfielder…
Mory Gbane looks like someone Celtic could do with 👀
Celtic could do worse than swallowing their pride and moving for Kasper Dolberg
On paper, Dolberg was exactly what Celtic needed.
A history of scoring at European and international level justified the €10 million price tag in the eyes of many.
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An incredible domino effect then saw Liam Delap injured for Chelsea, Marc Guiu recalled to Stamford Bridge from Sunderland and the Black Cats then pursuing Ajax’s Brian Brobbey as his replacement.
This left the Dutch giants in need of a striker, and they easily persuaded Dolberg to return to the club where he enjoyed an extremely successful spell earlier in his career.
Celtic went on to paper over the cracks with the signing of Kelechi Iheanacho, whilst Dolberg went on to have one of the worst seasons of his career. Ajax have now placed him on the transfer list.
So is the time right for the move to finally happen? How much can we read into a nightmare 12 months for the Danish striker, in which he scored just five goals in 30 games?
It was a truly dismal campaign for Ajax which saw them burn through three managers and finish fifth. Barely a handful of their players could say that they had a good season.
A club famed for their attacking football scored 29 less goals than PSV and 14 less than NEC Nijmegen.
It’s fair to say that Dolberg was not in an optimal environment for scoring goals, and whichever club does take a gamble on him this summer can safely assume that he has not lost his ability to finish in a 12-month period.
Whether or not he deserves the chance to return to Celtic is a different question.
Should Celtic try for Kasper Dolberg again?
How much would you pay for him?
Stephen McGowan on Celtic’s push to sign Kasper Dolberg
In the aftermath of Celtic’s failed attempt to sign Dolberg, journalist Stephen McGowan explained: “The intention was there to sign him, but they bid too low initially.
“The opportunity was lost on day one, effectively.
“I don’t think Dolberg was ever sold on Celtic, or more to the point Glasgow, but I’m led to believe Celtic had a private jet ready to go for him. I think they were genuine about doing it.
“The big mistake they made, as has happened so often, they did not close the deal. They didn’t get it done.
“They let Adam Idah go for a move, they told Brendan Rodgers they would get a player to replace him and they haven’t done it.
“And you then have this absurd circus where you have the wealthiest club in the country parading around on the day after the transfer window trying to persuade for free transfers.”
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