Celtic were offered brilliant Bodo/Glimt star last summer

Celtic were handed a wake up call by Bodo/Glimt, as the Norwegian champions walked out with a 5-1 aggregate win from their tie. The Hoops had enjoyed a promising Europa League campaign, getting 9 points out of a possible 18, despite being placed in arguably the toughest group in the competition alongside Real Betis, Bayer Leverkusen and Ferencvaros. But their Europa Conference League campaign left a lot to be desired.

Bodo/Glimt got a 3-1 win at Parkhead in the first leg and judging from the starting XI, it felt like Ange Postecoglou played it safe in the second leg, with the hosts getting a comfortable 2-0 victory in Norway.

One of Bodo/Glimt’s standout players over the two legs was Ola Solbakken. The 23-year-old winger provided an assist in the first leg and scored in the second. Interestingly, Celtic could have potentially signed him last summer.

As reported by Celts Are Here, Solbakken’s agency has said that Celtic scouts were offered the player last summer. His current deal runs out at the end of 2022.

Celtic should try to sign Solbakken in the future

It is safe to say that Solbakken is an exciting prospect. His performances against Celtic were brilliant and should have given Postecoglou a first-hand view of what the Norwegian is capable of.

Solbakken’s displays in Europe must have surely caught the eyes of a number of clubs. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists in 12 appearances across this season’s Europa Conference League qualifiers and main stage.

At the moment, Liel Abada is the starting right winger for Celtic and there is no denying the fact that he has done a good job since arriving in the summer. But with James Forrest struggling with both form and fitness, it might not be a bad idea for the club to go after another wide option in the future. And Solbakken is someone that they should keep an eye on.