Celtic’s pursuit of Gustaf Lagerbielke has been well-publicised over the last week or so. The Swedish defender looks set to become part of Brendan Rodgers’ squad over the next day or so.
Not much was known about the centre-back before he was mentioned as being a target for Brendan Rodgers but you can bet, now, that every Celtic fan knows a lot more about the 23-year-old.
However, his Elfsborg teammate and captain Johan Larsson certainly added more context to just how good the defender is and can be.
Larsson said [Aftonbladet], “He is a very good player. It’s fun for him, but sad for us if he leaves now. It is part of life in Elfsborg. If Gustaf leaves, he is well worth the chance, he is a future national team defender.
“But I said it when Römer left too, it’s not something we can stand and cry about. When the big clubs come knocking on the door, it’s hard to say no for both player and association.” [translated by Deep L]
Larsson himself has been involved in the Swedish national team set-up. The 33-year-old full-back has six caps for his country.
Indeed, Lagerbielke himself does have his first international cap under his belt. He made his debut against Iceland in a 2-1 friendly win back in January of this year but hasn’t featured since.
And this is not the first time he has received glowing praise in the media. Swedish football expert, Anel Advic, was waxing lyrical about Lagerbielke so Larsson’s comments just further compound the kind of talent Rodgers is recruiting.
Undoubtedly, a move to Celtic will enhance his chances of gaining more international caps. Exposure to the Champions League will raise his profile and enable him to show what he can do against Europe’s elite.
Meanwhile, Celtic are also said to hold an interest in Tottenham Hotspur defender, Eric Dier. The 29-year-old has been frozen out by Ange Postecoglou and deemed surplus to requirements by the London club.
In other news, Yosuke Ideguchi recognised in Japan as Celtic midfielder voted onto on-loan club’s God 7 list
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