Gustaf Lagerbielke is nearing a Celtic exit with Dutch side SC Heerenveen favourites to sign the out-of-favour central defender. The 24-year-old has failed to make an impact since joining from Elfsborg last season.
Reports have have indicated that Heerenveen are keen on the player that has made two appearances for the Swedish National Team. Although, no deal has been confirmed with chief exec Ferry de Haan admitting that they are hopeful of an agreement.
“It is not a done deal yet, but we are hopeful that it will work out. With Pawel Bochniewicz and Sam Kersten, we now have two central defenders. Mateja Milovanovic is still behind them but needs some time. We want to have a good line-up in the centre of defence.”
Lagerbielke signed for Celtic after being recommended to the club by Carl Starfelt’s agent, who switched to La Liga to join Celta Vigo. The £3m switch was expected to be a replacement for his compatriot, with Maik Nawrocki also arriving in the summer. However, the Swedish central defender made just ten appearances as well as scoring one goal – the win against Feyenoord in the UCL.
There have been rumours of Starfelt returning from Spain, which would push Lagerbielke further out of the first team picture. Stephen Welsh and Nawrocki are ahead of Lagerbielke with CCV and Liam Scales were the preferred pairing for Rodgers as Celtic won League and Scottish Cup Double.
You would imagine that the club would prefer a permanent deal that would see Celtic recoup some of the cash that they paid to Elfsborg last summer. However, if a loan deal gets Lagerbielke playing regularly and sees his wages being covered by the Dutch side then there are benefits to that too.
1 Comment
Could understand why we signed the largerman at the time, especially as there seemed to be a place available for him within our squad?
No-one really visioned scales to become the preferred option as a partner for CCV, especially when it was looking and expected that scales was for the exit door himself?
Only shows how quickly things can change within the footballing world, and sometimes with the least expected outcomes?
So no longer is a place available for the largerman within the plans of Rodgers finalising his 25man squad?
Even the spotlight is starting to come upon scales at present also?
Welsh is still a requirement for filling our homegrown quota still?
And sounding like Rodgers has lost patience with rocki and his ongoing injury issues also?
And this without knowing what the situation regarding Yuki is going to be yet?
Looking like Rodgers is looking to have 4CB within his finalised squad at present now?
With 6 already still in place, a demand for another to be added still, means that there is still some tidy up work required within the CB positions at present?
There would still be some concerns regarding CCV with his own potential injury issues, to last the full course of a season also?
Still believe rocki is a better option than Welsh as cover in the position, but starting to look like Rodgers might be thinking otherwise at present?
Would have thought that the CB positions would have been made far clearer than it is at present?
And still wouldn’t like to call what the outcome is actually going to be at this stage either?