KRISTOFFER AJER has completed his £13.5million switch from Celtic to Premier League newcomers Brentford.
The 23-year-old Norwegian central defender has not figured in Ange Postecoglou’s pre-season plans and was in West London last night for a medial while the Hoops drew 1-1 with FC Mistjylland at Parkhead in th first leg of the Champions League second round qualifier.
Ajer, with a year left to run on his Parkhead contract, had made it clear he wanted to quit the club and there were no snags as he was allowed to get his wish and agree a five-year deal with his new team.
The utility back-four operator also attracted interest from Newcastle, Norwich City and Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, but opted for Thomas Frank’s club.
Ajer joined the Hoops in a £750,000 deal from FK start in 2016 as a midfielder before moving into defence. The skyscraper stopper had a season on loan with Kilmarnock a year later before returning to the east end of Glasgow, according to a report on the club website.
HISTORY BHOY…Kristoffer Ajer fires in the decisive penalty-kick against Hearts in the delayed Scottish Cup Final in December last year to seal the quadruple treble.
The player scored seven goals in 177 games and played an important part in winning each of the 12 consecutive trophies lifted in four seasons, including scoring the final spot-kick that secured the unprecedented quadruple treble against Hearts in the delayed Scottish Cup Final on December 20 last year.
New boss Frank said: “‘We wanted to get another central defender in and Kris was our first choice. We think he fits the position specific profile perfectly, especially on the ball.
“Kris is very composed and can find the right passes between the lines. His level when bringing the ball forward is very high. As a defender he has the physicality that you need and he won his duels when he played in the Scottish league. He can help us in both boxes, with his strength in the air.”
New gaffer Postecoglou took the Hoops’ spending to £12.2million in a week when the club announced the £4.2million arrival of Swedish international centre-back Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan to join £3.5million Israeli winger Liel Abada and £4.5million Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi.
