Kasper Dolberg would have been the ideal striker signing for Celtic.
As a tall, mobile striker with pedigree in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, it is not difficult to see why he was seen as the target when Adam Idah made his move to Swansea.
However, the negotiation was drawn out by the Celtic hierarchy, allowing Ajax – Dolberg’s former club – to step in and make their move.
Amsterdam was the Denmark striker’s favoured location and from that point onward, Brendan Rodgers had to look elsewhere for his new number nine.
The search eventually ended with the signing of Kelechi Iheanacho, who was available as a free agent after his release from Sevilla – but with Dolberg’s move to Ajax now official, he has finally broken his silence.
Kasper Dolberg asked for Ajax transfer amid Celtic talks
Dolberg was part of a supremely successful Ajax era and was a member of the squad which made a magical run to the Champions League semi-finals under Erik ten Hag.
Given that, it’s not hard to see why he was enamoured with the idea of returning to the Johan Cruijff Arena. In his Instagram post, the 27-year-old also paid tribute to former club Anderlecht.
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He said: “Dear Anderlecht, two years ago I joined your club, that turned out to be exactly the right place for me.
“An opportunity to go back to Ajax arrived late in the window. I asked the club to allow the move to happen. I simply could not let this opportunity slip away to go back. To go home.
“I’m very grateful that Anderlecht has granted me this move. It shows the mutual respect we have had for each other over the past two years.”
With Celtic fans’ frustration over the transfer window made clear, the hope will be that Iheanacho can help the support forget about this saga.
Brendan Rodgers’ Europa League squad is a damning indictment
Despite fading into the background since the window’s closure due to the international break, Brendan Rodgers is likely to share the frustrations of supporters given his previous comments.
Rodgers made his stance clear that he did not want to see Idah sold unless a replacement was sorted prior, and given the striker’s absence for the Glasgow Derby, this priority was evidently not shared by those in charge of transfers.
The lack of movement on the winger front has also left the Parkhead boss with no choice but to include the likes of Yang Hyun-Jun and Johnny Kenny in his Europa League squad announcement, despite both players being expected to leave for more football.
For Dolberg, however, Champions League football awaits, as was expected to be the case for Celtic before a catastrophic defeat to Kairat Almaty caused things to begin to unravel.
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