Celtic Leading The Race For This Long-term Target: Postecoglou Must Make The Call

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The 4th Official

·9 July 2022

Celtic Leading The Race For This Long-term Target: Postecoglou Must Make The Call

If a report from Russian outlet RB Sport is believed to be true, Celtic are leading the race for Sweden international Jordan Larsson. Although he might be one of many targets the Hoops have shortlisted ahead of the upcoming term, this transfer story is indeed special given the player’s background.

Jordan is the son of legendary Celtic centre-forward Henrik Larsson. The iconic Swede spent his best years at Parkhead as he fired in 242 goals in 313 outings over a seven-season spell. The Bhoys are keen on attacking reinforcements after bolstering their backline and the former Spartak Moscow star is now back on the radar, thanks to his availability on a Bosman.

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Larsson progressed through the youth ranks of Barcelona and Högaborgs BK before breaking into the latter’s senior side. His father was representing these two teams during that tenure and the 25-year-old followed Henrik’s footsteps once more by joining Allsvenskan outfit Helsingborgs IF back in 2014.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – NOVEMBER 04: Jordan Larsson of FC Spartak Moscow in action during the Russian Premier League match between FC Spartak Moscow and FC Arsenal Tula at Otkrytie Arena stadium on November 4, 2019 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Epsilon/Getty Images). The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency: Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/) and Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/)

He then left for Eredivisie side NEC three years later but returned to his homeland with IFK Norrköping the next winter. An impressive scoring streak at Norrköping earned him a €4m transfer to Spartak Moscow where the striking ace continued to grow and flourish with goals and assists. Meanwhile, the Russian-Ukraine war saw Larsson suspending his contract and spending a brief stint on loan with Swedish top-flight side AIK.

Why Celtic Should Rope Him In

The contract with Spartak has now been terminated by mutual consent and the Bhoys should reignite interest given the player’s past comments. Larsson had some unforgettable days as a kid when he watched his dad becoming an icon donning Celtic colours and any future move was labelled as a ‘dream’ while speaking to RT a couple of years back.

“For me Celtic will always have a special place in my heart. Not that I’ve played there in that sense, but it was the first place where I saw football as a young kid going with my mother to see games when my father was playing.”

The Celts are currently well equipped high up the pitch but gaffer Ange Postecoglou is keen on building depth by adding quality. Albian Ajeti is not in the manager’s plan, whereas Daizen Maeda is utilized as a wide attacking option due to his tireless run.

Kyogo Furuhashi and Georgios Giakoumakis are more than capable of spearheading the attack, but the inclusion of Larsson would introduce flexibility considering his sharpness across the frontline. The centre-forward is a free agent who wants to get his career back on track and Celtic, therefore, must explore the emotional angle for a gamble that might prove worthy with time.