It is hard to remember a transfer window which moved this fast for Celtic, even the ones when Ange Postecoglou was the manager of the club. The Hoops have already completed five signings and are believed to be closing in on a few more moves as they continue to be linked with strikers, wingers and defenders. On the other hand, players are departing Parkhead rapidly as well.
The likes of Greg Taylor, Scott Bain, Daniel Cummings and Maik Nawrocki have all completed Celtic exits. Nicolas Kuhn is on the verge of a departure. And now, another one has been made official by the Hoops.
The club have announced that Gustaf Lagerbielke has joined Portuguese side, SC Braga, It is a permanent deal.
The transfer fee is believed to be north of £2 million. The move was expected for a while, with pictures of him signing autographs for SC Braga fans emerging yesterday. So, the transfer does not come as a surprise for anyone.
Celtic make late-night official transfer announcement
Lagerbielke's time at Celtic proved to be a flop. There is no denying that. He was signed in the summer of 2023, with Carl Starfelt leaving the club for Celta Vigo while they were also dealing with fitness issues at centre-back.
The hope was that Lagerbielke would be someone capable of challenging for a first-team spot. And there were some bright spots along the way. He scored a winner in the Champions League against Feyenoord and also kept a clean sheet against the Rangers away at Ibrox.
But overall, the Swedish defender just was never able to find his feet at Celtic and did not look like the right fit for Brendan Rodgers' style of football. So, this has to go down as a recruitment mistake, not that of the player or the coaching.