Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers brought in nine new signings to bolster his squad during the summer transfer window after his return to the club last year.
Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Hyun-jun Yang, Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm, Paulo Bernardo, Nat Phillips, Luis Palma, and Maik Nawrocki were all snapped up.
Tilio and Kwon were both sent out on loan in January and Phillips returned to Liverpool after his short-term loan, which means that six of those additions remain at Parkhead.
However, Lagerbielke is another player who could have been moved on as Serie A side Lecce were reportedly close to securing a loan deal for the central defender, before an injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers forced Celtic to block the transfer.
Rodgers could now strike gold with the Sweden international and unearth a new star at Paradise by providing him with a chance to impress.
Gustaf Lagerbielke's soaring market value
The 23-year-old titan was valued at just €400k (£340k) by FootballTransfers in August 2023, at the time of his transfer to Celtic from Elfsborg.
At the time of writing (13/02/2024), his current Expected Transfer Value (xTV) on FootballTransfers stands at €3m (£2.5m), which is a staggering 650% improvement on his initial xTV upon arriving in Scotland.
This shows that Lagerbielke is a big asset for the Hoops as his market value is rising and he still has time to improve and develop further at the age of 23.
Rodgers could help his stock to rise more by unleashing him as a starter for the Bhoys, or at least offering him an opportunity to prove he has what it takes to be one.
Gustaf Lagerbielke's performances for Celtic
The young defender has only made six appearances – the last of which came on the 2nd January – in the Scottish Premiership and four starts but has shown signs of quality in his limited time on the pitch.
Lagerbielke showcased his dominant defensive play with a duel success rate of 71%, which included an incredible ground battle success rate of 87%. Carter-Vickers has the next highest success rate in duels at 67%, and the USA international has only won 58% of his ground contests, out of the club's centre-back options.
Appearances
Six
Pass accuracy
85%
Ground duel success rate
87%
Aerial duel success rate
65%
Errors led to goals
Zero
Stats via Sofascore
This shows that the towering defender has the physical strength and positional awareness to get the better of opposition attackers far more often than not, particularly on the deck
The Swedish colossus, who Rodgers once hailed as "exciting", also ranks second for clearances (3.3) and first for tackles (1.8) per game among Celtic's group of centre-backs in the league.
Interestingly, the Hoops have not conceded a single goal in the Premiership with Lagerbielke on the pitch this season in 403 minutes of action.
Celtic picked up five wins and one draw in those six matches and the only goal they conceded – against Motherwell in a 2-1 win – came after Lagerbielke had been substituted.
Therefore, Rodgers should consider bringing the centre-back into the side over the coming weeks and months as the statistics, both individually and as a team, suggest that he could be a key performer for the club.
His market value could then continue to soar if he is able to nail down a regular place in the side as a dominant new star for the Scottish giants, which his impressive statistics suggest Lagerbielke has the potential to do.
