Celtic finished their summer transfer window with a bang, securing the signature of Oliver Abildgaard in the final hours of deadline day. The Denmark defensive midfielder has been brought in on a season-long deal, and it is believed that the Hoops have shelled out a a loan fee of around €1 million to sign him from Rubin Kazan.
Overall, Celtic’s current squad includes three players who had been at Rubin Kazan before arriving in Glasgow. Of course, one of them is Carl Starfelt, who joined the Scottish giants in the summer of 2021 and has since gone on to become a Premiership and League Cup champion. On the other hand, Sead Haksabanovic joined on a permanent deal from the Russian club this summer.
The club was also interested in signing a defensive midfielder, who could act as an enforcer in the middle of the park. The Hoops were missing that type of a player.
With the signing of Abildgaard, Celtic seem to have filled that gap, at least on paper. It remains to be seen how the Danish defensive midfielder manages to perform on the pitch though.
What Starfelt told Abildgaard about Celtic
Having Starfelt at Parkhead would have worked as an advantage for Abildgaard, in getting an understanding of the club. And it appears that the Swedish international has had nothing but positive things to say. As reported by Celtic’s official website, the Danish defensive midfielder revealed:
"“I’ve been following the highlights recently, ever since I heard about the interest, and I’ve also been keeping my eye on Carl Starfelt as well ever since he moved here a year ago.“He’s been amazed by the club ever since he came here, and the life in Glasgow as well. He’s enjoying it very much and he’s only told me good things about it.”"
Following the Glasgow Derby this weekend, Celtic will face the mighty Real Madrid in the opening group stage game of their Champions League campaign.
Someone like Abildgaard could come in handy in both games, by acting as an enforcer in the middle of the park in order to keep things tight, win back balls and break up play. But with him arriving just days ago, it is hard to see him get minutes of games of that magnitude so early.