Jeremie Frimpong’s Celtic career was not very long but he had managed to become a popular figure among the club’s support before leaving in January in a £10 million move to Bayer Leverkusen. But it is safe to say that his latest comments have not gone down very well.
Frimpong arrived at the club a couple of summers back from Manchester City in a £300,000 deal and established himself as the starting right-back in a short period of time.
While there were always question marks regarding the defensive side of his game and his final delivery, he clearly showed enough potential for a club like Bayer Leverkusen to shell out such a significant transfer fee to secure his services.
Frimpong did leave on the back of the Hoops’ poor season though and now, speaking about the matter, he believes that the eventual downturn in performances was natural after almost a decade of dominance. As reported by the Daily Record, he said:
"“I think in football, obviously Celtic in previous years they always win, but there was always going to be a point where they can’t win everything, so there was always going to have to be a time where they have to lose.“So the criticism Neil Lennon was getting was a bit over the top, because in football, it’s normal.“I feel like at Celtic, the fans they were so used to winning that when they started going down they didn’t know how to feel about it, but it’s normal to feel like that.”"
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Frimpong’s comments raise questions about Celtic’s failed 10IAR quest
Let’s just start by saying that Frimpong is not wrong about feeling this way. Yes, it is natural for a team to go through tough times in football.
Unfortunately, the circumstances make this failed campaign hurt more than most. This was arguably the most important season in the club’s history since 1967. With 10IAR up for grabs, they had to achieve something that had never been done before.
But you have to question whether some of the players understood the magnitude of this season. Again, they cannot be blamed if they did not, yet this season will hurt the club’s supporters for years to come.
Clearly, the Rangers understood what this season meant and they upped their game. It is hard to say the same about the Hoops.
What is done is done though and all the club can do now is move on. The focus must now shift towards next season and how to regain the Premiership title from Steven Gerrard’s side.