Gustaf Lagerbielke seals Celtic transfer as Elfsborg defender pens long-term deal
The Sweden international has completed his move to Parkhead
Celtic have completed the £3million signing of Sweden international Gustaf Lagerbielke on a five-year contract.
Lagerbielke, 23, arrived in Glasgow earlier this week after playing his final game for Elfsborg in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Hammarby. The defender, who won his one and only cap for Sweden in January, successfully underwent a medical after agreeing personal terms and now becomes the Hoops’ sixth summer signing.
Lagerbielke comes in as a direct replacement for fellow compatriot Carl Starfelt, who quit the Scottish champions for Celta Vigo. With first-choice centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers hobbling off injured in Sunday’s 3-1 win at Pittodrie, Lagerbielke arrival comes as a timely boost for the Treble-winners.
Lagerbielke said: “It feels really good, and I’m really excited and proud to be here. The first thing you think of when you hear the name ‘Celtic’ is obviously the fans, this stadium and the atmosphere the fans create here.
“And also, all the good players who have played here and who are playing here now, so I’m really excited to play with them and hopefully win a lot of games and titles.”
Brendan Rodgers added: “We are really pleased to finalise the deal for Gustaf to join the club. He is an exciting, talented young player who has great attributes and someone who I think is ready for the challenges that Celtic will bring.
“I know he is really hungry to achieve success with us. We think he will bring even more quality to our squad and we really look forward to working with him.”
Celts have already signed Maik Nawrocki in a £4.3m deal from Legia Warsaw and Lagerbielke will add more strength in depth at the back, with Stephen Welsh and Yuki Kobayashi also competing for starts.
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The Swedish defender penned a five-year deal with the Scottish champions and follows a long line of Swedish stars.
Gustaf Lagerbielke reckons the achievements of Brendan Rodgers speak for themselves, and his conversations with the Celtic coach were a huge factor in his signing.
The Swedish defender was confirmed as the champions’ latest recruit in Glasgow, sealing a £3million move from Elfsborg where Lagerbielke had earned a reputation as one for the future. The 21-year-old admitted he was floored by Celtic’s interest when it first came around and he now comes in to a Hoops backline one Swede short with Carl Starfelt calling time on his adventure with a move to Celta Vigo. But now Lagerbielke has the chance to follow in the footsteps of the Treble winner and club heroes Mikael Lustig and of course Henrik Larsson.
And early chats with Irishman Rodgers convinced the youngster the move as a goer, but he does expect the former Liverpool coach to talk tactics and what he wants from the ball-playing defender very quickly. He told the club’s website: “I know that all of them are really good players so it’s going to be fun to play with them and learn from them as well.
“I had a brief chat with the manager before I came here, and then a brief chat today, and he just welcomed me and it was nice to have me here, and I think we’ll talk more tactical and football things in the future. He seems like a really good guy and his achievements speak for themselves as a coach.
“It’s been nice playing all summer in the Swedish league and getting match fitness, so I’m ready to go straight into the action here at Celtic.’ It’s one of the reasons I started playing football when I was little – to play against the best and in the biggest tournament that there is, so hopefully we can get some good results and advance to the later stages of the Champions League.”
On the past successes of Swedes in Glasgow, he added: “I’m really excited and proud to be here. When I heard about the interest I was really excited and I was pushing for it to happen. The first thing you think of when you hear the name ‘Celtic’ is obviously the fans, this stadium and the atmosphere the fans create here.
“And also, all the good players who have played here and who are playing here now, so I’m really excited to play with them and hopefully win a lot of games and titles. It’s also a good sign that as a Swedish person, you can like it here and adapt to Scotland and Glasgow, so it’s good to know that when you take a step like this, former Swedes have been here and did it well so hopefully I can walk in their footsteps.
“Every player that signs for Celtic has the ambition to win all the domestic trophies and also do well in Europe as well. Carl has been a really good player here and hopefully I can also be a really good player here.”
