Former Everton, Real Madrid and Celtic midfielder Thomas Gravesen, has shared his thoughts on Kasper Schmeichel´s move to Celtic.
Here’s what Gravesen has been saying about Celtic’s move for the Denmark number one and also his comments, post Euro 2024, on the Denmark manager big mistake, not bringing Matt O’Riley to Germany to help the team.
The Scottish League is a perfect suit for Schmeichel
“It’s the Scottish league, yes, but you play in the Champions League every year. It’s called the battle for the championship and the Champions League, so to me, it’s a no-brainer.”
“You expects them to compete for the championship and win it every year. He is a winner, and he has the winner’s gene in him. He was part of the long streak under Åge Hareide, where they didn’t lose in 34 games, and the possibility to make such streaks in Scotland exists. He loves things like that – breaking records and playing at the highest level,’ Gravesen said, speaking to Danish outlet Tipsbladet about Schmeichel’s imminent move to Celtic.
“I actually see that he can come close to setting a record for the fewest goals scored against him – I still think he is that good. We saw for ourselves the Scottish fans when they traveled to Germany, how vocal they were, and how much festivity they could create. It’s a very good sign of what Scottish football entails. The way football is discussed and played in Scotland suits Kasper Schmeichel perfectly.
“The Scottish league is tied up with Celtic and (the)Rangers being the two big clubs. It’s a well-attended league, and there’s a lot of action. The smaller clubs want to show themselves against the big clubs, so stadiums get filled when Celtic and (the)Rangers visit the smaller clubs. The way you are received is the joy of expectation, and you always hope that you can beat Celtic and (the)Rangers,” Gravesen said.
He can still play on the national team
“I’m still baffled that Kasper Hjulmand can overlook Matt O’Riley and Nicolai Vallys, especially with the expression that the Danish national team delivered.”
“For me, it has never been a problem to play in the Scottish league – as long as you play at the top level! And here we are talking about the championship and the Champions League. I simply cannot see what parameters Kasper Hjulmand thinks are missing in Matt O’Riley’s game. It’s a mystery to me what he has seen and not seen,” the former Celt added.
Founder and editor on Celtic Shorts and publisher on dozens of top quality Celtic books including those on celticstarbooks.com. Publisher on The Celtic Star ahead of its sale. Earliest Celtic memories are a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email me if you'd like to get involved. editor@celticshorts.com