Ace Celtic sold for £13.5m urged to seal transfer as national team boss makes statement bound to spark fury

Norway manager Ståle Solbakken has claimed that former Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer should put his ‘foot down’ and seek a move away from Brentford this summer.

Ajer joined Celtic from local Norwegian side IK Start in 2016 for a reported figure of around £650,000 after a successful week-long trial period with the Glasgow side. He was still very raw at the time but after an initial bedding in period which saw him gain experience out on loan at Kilmarnock, Ajer would emerge as a regular in Brendan Rodgers plans as the team won a triple treble in 2017/18 and again in 2018/19 and 2019/20 when Neil Lennon returned.

Overall, Ajer racked up 176 appearances for the Hoops, including 117 in the league, scoring seven goals and contributing seven assists between 2016 and 2021 as he also established himself as a mainstay at international level. Ajer joined Brentford for £13.5m after their promotion to the Premier League, marking the end of a sensational five-year stint with the Bhoys which saw him win nine major trophies and make the Team of the Season on two occasions.

Kristoffer Ajer urged to leave Brentford

Kristoffer Ajer has made 94 appearances for Brentford since his move to the Gtech Community Stadium and has helped the capital side consolidate themselves as a stable mid-table outfit under Thomas Frank. However, last term he was restricted to 25 appearances, 24 of which came in the Premier League. He started 17 of those matches with the other seven coming as a substitute but he was often utilised as opposed to his preferred position as a central defender.

“He can be a very good and stable centre-back, and he was today, but he has to change clubs. He cannot play right-back in every third game if he is to be a proper, safe and good centre-back. Because he has all the prerequisites,” explained Ståle Solbakken as he hit out at the defender playing a new role.

He added: “I think Ajer would have been better suited to playing centre-back in another league. He has had some tough injuries in England. He will never be a super right-back, at the same level as he is as a centre-back. At the age he is now, I think he is allowed to put his foot down. You can’t be a ‘cover’ right-back at his age now.

The interview is unlikely to go down well with many Brentford fans, particularly when it’s played out in public as it threatens to unsettle a long-serving squad player. However, unfazed Solbakken added: “Many people get angry with me when I say things like that publicly, but I think we should be a little honest about it. Not that I’m going to interfere with Brentford selling him, but he’s at an age and is a type of player who can develop into a very stable, good defender at a high level.”

Kristoffer Ajer linked with Celtic return

Brendan Rodgers was the man that famously brought Kristoffer Ajer to Glasgow in 2016 and talk of a reunion involving the pair has surfaced in recent weeks through The Celtic Star. The outlet claims that Brentford are keeping tabs on Nicolas Kuhn at this moment in time to potentially replace Bryan Mbeumo and suggests that Celtic in a similar fashion to the Kygo and Jota deal in January, could try and get their hands on Ajer as a potential makeweight in Kuhn’s departure if the German decides he wants to relocate to London.

Ajer could provide much needed experience to help with next season’s title push due to his proven track record in Scotland and his leadership skills.

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