Celtic are being rinsed by Rodgers flop who earns more than Palma

After Ange Postecoglou moved down south, Celtic lured Brendan Rodgers back to Parkhead last summer for a second spell in charge of the Glasgow giants. The Hoops then made the decision to support the Northern Irish head coach by adding nine new first-team players to the roster during the summer transfer window.

With varying degrees of success thus far, Maik Nawrocki, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Odin Thiago Holm, Marco Tilio, Luis Palma, Paulo Bernardo, Nat Phillips, and Hyun-jun Yang were all brought in. After being eliminated from the League Cup in August and the Champions League group stages, Celtic is presently two points behind their opponents at the top of the Scottish Premiership. They were also eliminated from Europe.

Their troubles in many competitions indicate that Rodgers’ efforts during the previous transfer window have not yet paid off in full, as evidenced by some of his acquisitions’ lack of playing time. Specifically, Lagerbielke has not worked out well for Celtic thus far. Without contributing much on the field, the Swedish defender has robbed the squad of millions of dollars, making more money than Palma, a star player in the first team.

How much Celtic paid for Gustaf Lagerbielke

For a rumored £3 million, Rodgers swooped to recruit the center-back from IF Elfsborg in August of last year, claiming the youthful enforcer was “ready” for the challenge of playing for the Scottish powerhouses. The 23-year-old titan joined following a successful first half of the season in Sweden. At the time of his signing, he highlighted former Hoops star Virgil van Dijk as an influence.

Throughout his 16 Allsvenskan appearances for the club in the 2023 season, he drew attention with his solid defensive efforts. Lagerbielke made 2.6 tackles, interceptions combined, and 6.7 ball recoveries per game; he also committed no mistakes that allowed the opposition to score a goal or attempt. This implies that he was a reliable back-man who consistently finished off attacks without making significant errors.

The Swedish monster was also extremely dominant physically, winning 59% of his duels in those 16 games after winning 64% of his fights in 20 league games for Elfsborg in 2022. These numbers implied that the Hoops had strengthened their backline by acquiring a towering defender who could overpower opponents with few mistakes. Nevertheless, so far this season, things have not gone as planned for him at Parkhead, as the Sweden international has had difficulty getting into the starting lineup under Rodgers.

Gustaf Lagerbielke’s season in numbers

The 23-year-old gem’s season thus far was summed up on Sunday as Celtic defeated Livingston 4-2 at home in the SFA Cup quarterfinals. He was not utilized as a substitute. He has not missed a single game for the Hoops in 2023–2024 due to injury. But in the Premier League, Rodgers has left him out of the matchday squad 20 times. Since joining the Scottish powerhouse for £3 million, Lagerbielke has made a total of six league games and has only been used as a substitute in the top level once.

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