Celtic recently made a major sale that was tough to swallow, sending star attacking midfielder Matt O’Riley to Brighton after receiving plenty of interest from clubs like Roma, Atalanta, Leicester City, Southampton, and Atletico Madrid.
At Celtic, O’Riley proved he is a Champions League-quality midfielder, registering a whopping six assists in the competition last season. A great goal-scorer and playmaker, O’Riley is a big-ticket addition for Brighton and a tough loss for Celtic.
Meanwhile, Celtic are also letting another talented player go, albeit one not quite as acclaimed as O’Riley nor as important to the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership champions.
According to a report from Dutch outlet Tubantia, Celtic center back Gustaf Lagerbielke has left the club for Dutch Eredivisie side Twente on loan after previously receiving interest from Serie A clubs like Hellas Verona.
Lagerbielke is 24 and wears the No. 4 shirt for Celtic, but he hasn’t been a key player despite showing obvious talent in his time with the club. The Swedish international started just four games with three additional appearances off the bench in the Scottish Premiership last season, but he made those minutes count.
On a per 90 basis, Lagerbielke averaged 2.4 tackles in the league, as well as 2.3 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per 90 in the Champions League. To this day, Celtic fans don’t understand why the young center back hasn’t been given more playing time as a launching pad for further success.
That launching pad could come with Twente, where Lagerbielke figures to be a nailed-on starter and could enhance his reputation with a strong season in the Dutch top flight.
He could use that in order to return to Celtic as a starter and shine for them in the center of the defense, or he could end up using Twente as a platform to leave for another club.
Either way, Celtic could still benefit in the end from Lagerbielke helping them in his prime or being used to generate a transfer profit. Yet at the same time, you can’t help but wonder if the 24-year-old could have helped Celtic significantly in the 2024/25 season instead of joining Twente.
