Jeremie Frimpong has opened up about his Celtic exit, shortly after making his debut for Bayer Leverkusen as a substitute. The 20-year-old left Celtic in January in a £11.5m deal leaving behind the struggling Scottish Champions for the German side as he sought to test himself in a better league.
Now, speaking to The Athletic, Frimpong has spoken about leaving Celtic and paid thanks to those that helped him settle in, grow as a player and ultimately seal a move away. He cites the draw of the Bundesliga as opposed to wanting to leave Celtic as the reason for leaving the club.
“It was the right time to leave Celtic because it was about a big club like Leverkusen coming, rather than about Celtic.
“And obviously the Bundesliga was really attractive. So when they came, I was like ‘I could play in the Bundesliga!’, and that was it really.
“I was watching Bundesliga anyway, and Bayer Leverkusen were playing a lot.
“For me, I’ve always wanted to play in the top leagues, and I consider the Bundesliga to be top three in the world. I wanted to take this challenge to see if I can handle it.”
The young right back won over the Celtic support with brilliant running and a humble yet energetic persona. The player is away to take a crack at the German league, which has attracted many youngsters that have come from English Academies.
He was the man of the match in his debut against Partick Thistle last season and kicked on becoming an integral part of the side that clinched the Quadruple Treble last year. He paid tribute to his former teammates and manager for helping progress him.
Frimpong will now hope he can further his development in Germany but for Celtic, it is a case of finding a long term replacement and reinvesting that money into the playing squad.
