Giorgos Giakoumakis takes blunt dig at Celtic treatment

Giorgos Giakoumakis was signed by Celtic in the summer of 2021 after he topped the Eredivisie scoring charts while at VVV-Venlo. The Greek stumbled out of the gates at Parkhead, struggling with fitness issues early on. But he would come into his own in the second half of the campaign and proved vital in the Hoops’ title charge, especially when Kyogo was out injured.

One would have expected Giakoumakis to enjoy a bigger role at the club in his second season there. Instead, his game time seemed to decrease in the first half of the 2022/23 campaign and he left for Atlanta United in the middle of the season.

Celtic would bring in Oh Hyeon-gyu to replace Giakoumakis. But it has become very clear since then that the South Korean striker is not at that level yet and has some way to go.

On the other hand, Giakoumakis joined Atlanta United and is having a great time there. He won the MLS Newcomer of the Year recently, ahead of Lionel Messi.

Giakoumakis takes dig at Celtic treatment

Giakoumakis does not appear to be happy with some of the treatment that he received during his time at Celtic. As reported by Football Scotland, he said:

"“I wouldn’t think to leave Celtic if several things didn’t go wrong, and many of them were completely wrong. I cannot lie.“My relationship with the manager wasn’t great, at the end of the day. We never had a specific fight, but he didn’t trust me as much as I wanted to feel trusted.“I had to go. I had to go. I never regretted a moment. I was sad that I had to leave Celtic. I was living a life there. I was like a god for the fans.“My connection with them was really special, and it was sad, but I had to make my decision. My last month in Celtic I was suffering because of some people at the club. I didn’t receive the respect from the people or from the club. So actually, I think they forced me to go out.”"

In hindsight, it feels like Celtic would have been a stronger team if Giakoumakis had still been at the club. It is what it is though.

Celtic are still winning games on a constant basis and sit atop the Premiership table. On the other hand, it is good to see the Greek striker do well at Atlanta United too. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 17 goals in 30 appearances for them.

Oh has been showing some positive signs with his recent performances. And one would expect the club to add another striker to their ranks in the upcoming winter transfer window.