Kasper Høgh has given Celtic supporters a first glimpse of what they can expect after completing his move to the Scottish champions, and the new striker is wasting no time in making his intentions clear.
For Høgh, the excitement was obvious from the moment the deal became official. Speaking to Celtic Player, he said:
“I’m so happy. When I came into the room and saw the shirt, I was really excited.
“The history of the club is so big. I spoke with some people and with my family about the club.
“The feeling they had, and the feeling I had in my stomach, was that this was a really good match.”
Those words will strike the right chord with supporters. Celtic have made no secret of their search for another striker this summer, and after a lengthy pursuit they have landed a player entering what should be the prime years of his career.
Høgh also offered an insight into the type of centre-forward he believes he is. While goals are clearly at the heart of his game, he was equally keen to stress the work he puts in away from the ball.
“I like to be in the box and score goals, but I also want to help my team-mates defensively and work hard for the team.
“I’ve trained throughout the summer and I’ve already played league games in Norway, so I feel ready. I just want to get started and be thrown into the fire.”
That last line will be welcomed by O’Neill, with the new signing arriving match sharp after featuring in league action in Norway. There should be no lengthy wait before he is ready to contribute.
Supporters will now be hoping to see Høgh involved when Celtic begin their Premiership title defence against Dundee, with the league flag unfurled before kick-off at Celtic Park.
His arrival also comes at an important stage of the season. A Champions League play-off is just three weeks away and European experience was always going to be a priority in the recruitment process. Celtic needed another proven attacking option before those ties, and Høgh fits that profile.
Competition for places in the forward line has immediately intensified, giving O’Neill another quality option as the fixtures begin to pile up across domestic and European competition.
With a record transfer fee comes expectation, but Høgh’s first words suggest he understands exactly what awaits him. The chance to wear the Celtic shirt was enough to convince him, now the focus turns to delivering where it matters most, on the pitch.
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Welcome to Celtic Hogh. What a signing and it will be great to see him playing along side Duran in the green and white hoops.
Hopefully we will be able to add Baur (and if not sign him up in January on a pre-contract as he wants to come to Celtic) and Hassan to the squad to In the coming weeks.
With the goalkeeper situation the Croatian goalkeeper which his team wants £8m+ for may be a non-runner as from looking at his stats from last season he wouldn’t be an up-grade on Sinisalo, which if we are paying £8m+ for him and he doesn’t live up to the calibre of Sinisalo is a lot of money for a squad player who may not get much game time. Vitek looks a better option to me.
And as no offers (or firm offers) have come in for Hatate, Engle’s, Johnston, Nygren or even McGregor for that matter we look like we have a good squad going into this season and with the possibility of using McArdle, Donovan, and Osmand which bring some quality youth within our squad rotation and plus the possibility of Jota returning to I’m looking forward to this season.