Celtic’s reported interest in Gustaf Lagerbielke will have left the fans reaching for their phones and laptops in a bid to find out more about the player.
With the Hoops said to have made a bid of around £3m for the defender, it looks likely that Lagerbielke will become Brendan Rodgers’ sixth summer signing.
With many reports only offering brief descriptions of the player, the Swedish international defender is a relatively unknown quantity in Scotland.
So what kind of player are we getting? How does the 23-year-old defend and if the move does go through, what can the Celtic fans expect?
When Lagerbielke joined Degerfors IF on loan in July 2022, the young defender went into detail about what the Allsvenskan side’s fans should expect from him.
Lagerbielke said, “I would describe myself as a skilful centre-back who is good at duelling. I’m good at heading and threatening opponents behind their back line.
“I can also play in other positions as well, but I’m mainly a centre-back. That’s where I feel most comfortable.
“I will be able to contribute with passing, combination play and the offensive part, while I am strong in the duelling game and contribute to keeping things tight at the back.” [Degerfors FC] [translated by Deep L]
So it seems that we are getting a versatile player that offers options in attack as well as keeping it tight at the back. He also sounds like he is very confident in his ability.
Interestingly, he made 14 appearances during his loan spell and scored three goals for Degerfors so it looks like he backed up his self-analysis with his performances on the pitch.
If Celtic can get this deal over the line it seems like we are getting a very exciting young talent who would be an able replacement for the outgoing Carl Starfelt.
In other news, Jan Aage Fjortoft explains how Celtic legend David Hay moulded his career
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