Celtic return 'not out of the question' for Parkhead flop as limited game time in Eredivisie poses headache
The misfit Celtic defender has dropped a hint about where he could be playing his football next season
Gustaf Lagerbielke has already been shown the door by Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers - but the misfit defender has hinted he could be heading back to Glasgow at the end of his loan deal in the Eredivisie.
The 24-year-old centre-back was shipped out on loan to Dutch outfit FC Twente last summer just 12 months on from sealing his £3million transfer to Parkhead from Swedish side IF Elfsborg.
Lagerbielke played only five games for the Hoops last season, which included scoring the winning goal in their Champions League clash against Feyenoord in December 2023. His lack of game time resulted in the player attempting to force through a move to Italian club Lecce, but a temporary deal collapsed at the last minute when concerns surfaced over the fitness of mainstay Cameron Carter-Vickers.
He came on as a substitute in all three of Celtic’s pre-season games during their tour of the USA before heading to the Netherlands where he has again struggled for regular first-team action. And with no option-to-buy clause inserted into the deal with FC Twente, Lagerbielke concedes his future is up in the air.
However, he has still left the door open for his move to Twente to be made permanent. He told Fotbollskanalen: “It is a straight loan until the summer. Then there is always the possibility that I will be bought. So far it’s felt very good there so we’ll see how it goes forward.
“There is always that (chance of going back to Celtic). I still have a contract there. It’s not out of the question at all. Then I’ll have to see closer to the end of the season what happens with everything. But it’s a fantastic club.”
Hoops boss Rodgers has deemed Lagerbielke surplus to requirements after previously confirming may be on his way out of the club.
Discussing the player’s future last summer, Rodgers said: “It just all depends. Gus has shown a terrific attitude. He didn’t get so much game time last season but he’s got his head down. He had the chance to go on loan in January, but we needed to keep him due to the injuries we had in that position. But’s he’s worked very hard over pre-season and we’ll see what happens.
“You see the players are happy and working well, but all the players want to play. If they can’t get the game time with us, they may look elsewhere. In this moment Gus is working very hard and when he is asked, he comes in and does well.”