It’s fair to say that Gustaf Lagerbielke would not have had too much game-time had he stayed at Celtic this season…

The Swedish defender, a £3m summer 2023 project signing from Swedish side Elfsborg, has never managed to convince Brendan Rodgers of his status as a first team player at Celtic and after a loan move to Italy fell through back in January the Sweden international centre-half finally managed to get a loan move sorted in the summer when he opted for FC Twente Enschede ahead of various other options that were offered to him.

Lagerbielke’s lucrative contact at Celtic runs through to June 2028 so a longer term solution would e ideal for Celtic if a permanent move can be sorted. However the Erdivisie’s club’s sporting director Arnold Bruggink has already indicated that they will NOT be in a financial position to sign the Swede from Celtic next summer. So the can has just been kicked down the road.

The important thing for Lagerbielke and indeed Celtic, is that the 24 year-old defender gets plenty of game-time in Dutch football and also in the Europa League this season and catches the eye of a potential suitor for next summer’s transfer window.

Gustaf has been talking to Forbolldirekt about his situation at Celtic and his hopes for his season in Dutch football with FC Twente.

“It feels like it’s only a matter of time until I get to play, and I’m looking forward to that.
I enjoy myself here and I feel like I’ve settled in well,” Lagerbielke said.

“I didn’t get much playing time at Celtic and both me and the club agreed that a loan would be very good for both parties,” he revealed. “Then I considered my options and there were a few clubs in many different countries interested. I compared the advantages and disadvantages of all and had meetings with different clubs.

“After the meeting with Twente it felt like it was a very good match. They have a very clear focus on development with the way they train. They have a fairly small squad where they put a lot of responsibility on each player.

ROTTERDAM, 19Ã09-2023, Stadium Feijenoord / De Kuip , Champions League , Feyenoord v Celtic , result 2-0 Gustaf Lagerbielke slaps Igor Paixao in the face and gets send off with red card and causes a penalty

“That combined with playing in the Dutch league which is very good, together with the Europa League felt like a perfect combination. It’s about being able to play and be an important player in the team. With that comes development,” he added.

We’ll all be keeping a close eye on Lagerbielke’s progress and hopefully he’ll doe well enough at FC Twente for them to re-consider their stance on a permanent move in the summer, or alternative to catch the eye of another club looking for a quality player at a bargain price.