Confirmed: Celtic midfielder Oliver Abildgaard on his way to Serie A

By John McGinley

January 31, 2023

Celtic midfielder Oliver Abildgaard is on the way to Serie A to play for Hellas Verona.

The Italian club have confirmed the signing on their social media accounts, ending a difficult spell for the Danish international in Glasgow.

Presumably, that would mean Celtic were happy to cancel the one-year deal he signed to arrive from Russian club Rubin Kazan in the summer transfer window.

Abildgaard didn’t make a single start for the Bhoys and has only made nine appearances from the bench. He last appeared in a match squad as an unused substitute against Rangers at the start of the month.

Earlier, Danish club Aalborg confirmed they were interested in the 26-year-old but reports in Denmark suggested it was far from certain he would sign.

Verona are currently fighting relegation from the Italian top-flight and find themselves in the bottom three with Sampdoria and Cremonese.

Ange Postecoglou brought J-League MVP midfielder Tomoki Iwata to the club during this window and has already handed him a debut, further pushing Abildgaard to the fringes of the squad.

With Callum McGregor, Aaron Mooy, Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate and David Turnbull all also available, Celtic are were stocked in midfield for the remainder of the campaign.

Abildgaard is set to go down as a signing that just didn’t work out, but we’ll wish him all the best on his journey to Italy.

In other news, Report: Celtic disappoint deadline day suitors with strong Stephen Welsh stance.