Last summer was one of change for Celtic as the squad underwent a major overhaul. Twelve players were signed, ten on a permanent basis and two on loan. On the other hand, key stars like Scott Brown, Ryan Christie, Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer and several others departed Parkhead. On top of everything else was the arrival of Ange Postecoglou, under whose management the Hoops have undergone a transformation over the course of the season.
Comparatively, this summer is expected to be much calmer, with the squad more settled now than it was back then but it does feel like there could still be some significant changes taking place at Parkhead.
One of them could spell the end of the Parkhead career of James Forrest, who has not been able to find either form or fitness over the course of the past couple of years and is an option to bring off the bench at best right now.
His current deal with the club runs out in the summer of 2023 and if Celtic are to get a transfer fee out of his exit, they will need to act soon.
Could Forrest’s Celtic career be over in the summer?
As reported by The Athletic (via Fox Sports), one of Celtic’s transfer priorities in the summer is to bring in a new right winger. And that will remain the case no matter what happens with the future of Jota.
Conveniently, rumours have broken out recently about the club being interested in a move for Bodo/Glimt’s Ola Solbakken, who will be entering the final six months of his contract this summer and is rumoured to be available for a transfer fee around €2 million.
Postecoglou got a first hand experience of what Solbakken is capable of when Celtic came across Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Europa Conference League earlier this season, a tie that the Norwegian champions won comfortably, with the winger scoring in one leg and assisting in the other. Other than that, he has also scored thrice against AS Roma and once against AZ Alkmaar this season, proving that he has the ability to get it done against top opposition.
If Celtic were able to sign Solbakken in the summer, one would have to wonder what the future holds for Forrest at Parkhead. Also, would he be content to spend his time sitting on the bench moving forward?