New Celtic signing makes FC Barcelona revelation

Following his £5 million move to Celtic, the new signing made an FC Barcelona revelation from his past.

After signing from Premier League side West Ham United for the Hoops for a reported £5 million fee, Ajeti is set to bolster Celtic’s options up front this season.

The 23-year-old Swiss striker came up through FC Basel’s academy alongside Mo Elyounoussi, but reportedly rejected a move to FC Barcelona at the age of 16 in order to remain with the Swiss side.

Speaking with the Daily Record, Albian described the potential move, saying:

"“People say it’s hard to say no to Barcelona but not at that age, to be fair. When you are young you want to be with your family, with your brothers and friends, so it wasn’t that hard to say no.”"

With a break away from Basel in 2016 and 2017 at FC Ausburg and St. Gallen, Ajeti scored 15 goals in 43 appearances between the two sides, before returning to his boyhood club in 2017.

With the Swiss side, he finally broke through, scoring an impressive 29 league goals in 58 appearances for the side over two seasons. This included being the Swiss Super League’s top scorer in 2017-2018 with 17 goals to his name and a Swiss Cup title the following year.

While his brother plays for the Albanian national team, Albian plays for the Swiss, making 10 senior appearances with them since 2018, and netting one goal for the side in a 6-0 victory against Iceland in 2018.

Just over one year ago, Albian had signed with English-side West Ham United after an £8 million deal but failed to break through in London, making 12 appearances the previous season with no goals to his name.

Describing his move to Glasgow recently, Albian showed enthusiasm for his new squad, saying:

"“For me, it was important that the boss and the sporting director Nick Hammond showed me a lot of interest. It was also important for me to feel like I would be an important player if I was going to sign for as big a club as Celtic is. This was important. But when you have a chance to play for them, with all the tradition they have and the history of this football club and the fans they have, I am happy.”"

Luckily for Neil Lennon, this decline in productivity made him a cheaper target for the side, and he looks set to be a true compliment to the club’s campaign for a tenth-straight title, bolstering a squad that struggled in an early draw with Killie last weekend.