‘I was promised I could leave’ – Ajer Lifts Lid on Celtic Talks

KRISTOFFER AJER told TV2 on Friday afternoon he would be looking for his Celtic Park exit this summer.

A short quote came out this morning abut Ajer’s desire to leave the club before next season but the Norwegian did go into much greater detail about a potential move away.

Thanks to @thecynicwolf for translating the interview and giving the Hoops support some better insight into the driving force behind Kristoffer’s request.

‘I was promised I could leave last summer, but we then agreed I would stay to try and help club win 10 in a row. That was important to the club, but unfortunately we didn’t succeed. Now I’m expecting the club to keep its word (about allowing him to leave)’.

“There is not a set fee agreed (that club will sell him for), but I expect them to find a solution.’ (He says club repeated their promise to sell him as recently as this January.)

‘This won’t come as a surprise to the club, they know what I want. I think it is important for them to sell me to get funds in order to help with a rebuild of the club’

On being a Celtic player and his time in Glasgow, Ajer can only speak on glowing terms:

‘Quite simply, I’ve become a Celtic supporter’

‘Celtic is a fantastic club. From outside, it’s difficult to understand how big the club is: playing in front of 60,000 spectators every weekend, walking around the streets and really feeling the atmosphere, it’s been absolutely fantastic.’

‘I’ve really gotten to know Scottish people, they’re incredibly warm and I have made close relationships here that have supported me through both ups and downs. Celtic has been a fantastic experience and is a club I owe extremely much to’

‘I don’t feel I’ve outgrown Celtic. Celtic is a huge club that require you to be at your best all the time. But I want to see how far I can get and for that I have to play in a better league. I think it’s important for my development that I go to a higher level (of league)’

‘I’ve trained really hard every single day and have achieved what I have today because I’ve put in the most work. Now I want to see how far I can get, and for that I think it’s important to play in a top five league’

‘When playing for Norway I’ve experienced that the quality of opposition has caught me by surprise at times, so I think it is important for the future that I get to a better league’

‘But again, I have to must emphasise that I’ve become extremely fond of Celtic. I could have stayed for another six months and taken most of the transfer fee myself, but leaving now means I can give something back to a club that has meant so much me’

We caught wind of Kristoffer’s desire to leave the club last season before ten in a row had been lost. Neil Lennon is on the record calling out players for looking to leave the club during last season and we have no doubt those comments were aimed at Kristoffer.

There has been accusations of players not turning up last season and not doing their best. As much as it was a horrible campaign, many supports do believe Kristoffer always kept digging for the team and wasn’t resting on his laurels.

Ultimately, the choice to keep some of the players on has hurt us more than it’s helped.

We expect Ajer to get his move in the coming months and Celtic will have to move on to the next group of players ready to make a name for themselves.

Even though the defender wants to leave, we must refrain from selling him on the cheap. Kris has good value, even with just a year left of his Celtic deal.