Former Celtic player makes Ange Postecoglou exit claim

A former Celtic player has recently been talking about his time with the club. And it looks like he is open to the idea of a return. The first time around, he only had a brief loan spell at Parkhead and was not signed permanently. Could Ange Postecoglou's own situation have had something to do with that decision?

Moritz Jenz joined Celtic on loan from FC Lorient in the summer of 2022. It appears to have been an exciting time for the defender.

Jenz seems to have been well aware of the club, its fans and its history. He is friends with Matt O’Riley, having both come up through the Fulham youth system. Of course, the Danish international had joined Celtic just a few months earlier from MK Dons. 

At Fulham, the centre-back had Peter Grant as a coach. And as those who listen to him as a co-commentator on Celtic TV, he just can't stop talking about the club. So, Jenz knew plenty about the Hoops when he signed that loan deal.

Former Celtic player makes Ange Postecoglou exit claim

It was though a short spell in Glasgow for Jenz. Early on in the season, he stepped in as cover in the back four for Carl Starfelt. The German made a pretty good start and featured in some important games.

Alongside the Glasgow Derby, Jenz also played in all six Champions League matches for the Hoops that season. That meant he came up against Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig.

But when Starfelt was back from injury, Jenz returned to the bench and would soon end up leaving, spending the rest of the season on loan at Schalke instead. Could Postecoglou's situation have had a part to play in that decision? As reported by Football Scotland, the German defender said:

"I first tried to speak to the gaffer about the situation and just made him aware about how my parent club was feeling about the situation. There then had to be a mutual decision because at the end of the day, the team in France were expecting the money because they bought me for £4million when I was a youngster and after that, they were wanting £6/7m.

"Then after the Champions League, it was increased again. I don't know if it would have been logical for the manager. Maybe he knew already where he was going? If he buys me for that price and suddenly leaves, it doesn't look great. I don't know, there are many factors.

"But at the end, it was the right decision for both parties and the gaffer gave me a nice speech. He said, 'Don't think this time was a bad time, it was a great time.' I said the same, I really enjoyed it. My career moved forward the way I wanted it to, so I'm very thankful to Ange for that."

Celtic fans will remember the rumours circulating in the run-up to last season’s Scottish Cup final about Postecoglou’s future. The Australian's exit was confirmed days after the treble was sealed. So, did he know that he was leaving after the season for months? Or did it all fall into place within a short span of time?