DENMARK international striker Kasper Dolberg has explained why he snubbed Celtic to return to Ajax from Anderlecht on transfer deadline day.
The Hoops thought they had their man following the £7million departure of Adam Idah to Swansea City.
However, Dolberg had a dramatic change of mind to join his former Amsterdam club and leave the champions with a frantic search elsewhere which resulted in the arrival of former Manchester City and Leicester City hitman Kelechi Iheanacho who had just been freed by Sevilla.
The towering Danish forward admitted he “could not let this opportunity slip” after knocking back the Celtic offer and heading for the Netherlands.
DUTCH AND GO…Kasper Dolberg knocked back to return to Amsterdam.
Addressing the Anderlecht fans, Dolberg, 27, said on Instagram: “Two years ago, I joined your club, that turned out to be exactly the right place for me.
“No, we didn’t win a trophy together. How I wish we could have shared that moment.
“However, we shared a lot of other things. Passion. Mutual respect. A city for my family. My little girls were born here.
“Brussels will always be special for us.
“An opportunity to go back to Ajax arrived late in the window.
“I asked the club to allow the move to happen.
“I simply could not let this opportunity slip away to go back. To go home.”
It has been reported that Ajax made their move at the eleventh hour to thwart Brendan Rodgers, but the Belgian club’s technical director Alex Kroes insisted that was not the case.
LITTLE BHOY BLUE…new Celtic recruit Kelechi Iheanacho during his Leicester City days.
He stated the Dutch giants had been tracking the player “for months” and, summing up Dolberg’s qualities, added: “Kasper will never be the most extrovert person in the world, but he doesn’t have to be.
“He still has that flair. He has been scoring goals over the past years, very pretty goals.
“He adds something to the team.”
Dolberg is in Denmark’s World Cup squad and Hoops fans may get a chance to witness the attacker in action against Scotland in Copenhagen tomorrow night.
