Celtic confirmed the signing of German-born Poland youth international central defender Maik Nawrocki (22) this morning. The player emerged through the Werder Bremen youth system and featured only seven times before going on loan two weeks after his 20th birthday to Warta Poznan in the Polish topflight.
He spent half a season at Warta where he made only two starts and one substitute appearance before Legia Warsaw made their move and took him on loan for the 2021-22 season. Still 20, this was his breakthrough season and Legia made the transfer permanent last summer. The player has made 43 starts and four substitute appearances in senior football, well below our typical harvesting point in the mid-60s.
Zbyszek, our man in Warsaw, firmly endorsed him. Maik is “great in the air…. Focussed on the game… Good at passing through the lines”. Legia were fending off bids for him from Galatasaray that were close to double what we paid them for Josip Juranovic two years ago, indicating how much more they value Maik.
And wait for it……….. he’s two footed.
Our settled central defensive pairing has a clear hierarchy. Cameron Carter-Vickers rivals the great Virgil in status, while Carl Starfelt sits somewhere beneath the clouds. This is harsh on Carl. Both players are right footed, but Carl carries the burden of playing on the left, presumably because this suits the pair’s merits and weaknesses.
With Cameron not yet match fit, I would expect to see Maik on the left in the games against Wolves and Athletic Bilbao, allowing Carl to play on his natural side. Brendan Rodgers has not worked with any of these players. It will be interesting to see who he selects for the important games in September we discussed earlier.
Virgil was a week shy of his 22nd birthday and had started 50 matches when he joined Celtic. Maybe the sweet spot for central defenders is a little lower than mid-60s.
Welcome to Celtic, Maik.
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A further good afternoon from Connollys. Welcome to Celtic Maik and let the good times roll. 👍
Maik Nawrocki: “It’s great for me to have joined Celtic and I’m looking forward to meeting up with my new team-mates and start training with them.
“Celtic are a famous club throughout the world and Glasgow has all the nightclubs I need, of course, so they’re both very well-known in Poland, having had a number of Polish players in recent years, so I know just how big this club is, how incredible the supporters are, and I can’t wait to play in front of the fans and experience that for myself.”
HH
2-1 Canada
Went to the shunky and missed their second goal😕
As it stands, Is Haksabanovic our first choice left winger? Does he not merit a decent run of games before assuming we need to replace Jota?
Rubin Kazan paid 5.4 million for him in 2021 before we got him in 2022 for 2 mill due to Ukraine invasion.
Bada Bing
Apology re lack of reply
I had thought Hot Smoked had explained my point succinctly indirectly and I did refer to that.
I should have made it more specific but I have been crazy busy past few hours.
Not meant to be dismissive.
Critical opinion presented as fact with no robust evidence is what I find difficult. That’s all.
Got a good look at the new kit, nephews bhoy wearing the full outfit to go on holiday.
It is not growing on me at all. I am hating the black stripes, the black pipind down the side, why, hating the ragged lines, hating the contrasting greens.
It is just not Green and White Hoops, it is a mess.
Now having said that the bhoy gets a new celtic kit every year to wear in the airport it is his thing.
He thinks he looks the business.
He is 26.
DENIABHOY on 26TH JULY 2023 2:27 PM
Never a winger. Too slow and apart from a period in November last season hasn’t kicked on. Thought he looked poor in Japan, failing to grasp the opportunity.
Bags of tricks, maybe a No.10 but needs to sort his application out first. All that bling teeth thing was a bit of a red flag tbh.
I still think we’ll spend big on a Jota replacement. Yurp needs us to.
HH
P S. regarding my post above, on Haksa. Maeda would no doubt disagree with me by I am thinking BR may not see him as a winger
Big Wavy – maybe so. Though maybe Brendan can help him find his mojo again. He certainly flattered to deceive the first few times he came on
Deniabhoy,
Mojo maybe. Pace less likely.
Rodgers, a la Sinclair, likes that attribute in his attackers.
I’d like us to find him a home but needs to be centrally, if at all.
HH
FT Canada 2 Ireland 1 .
Good effort from the Irish lassies v the Canadian lassies (#7 in FIFA rankings) .
Heading off to Alicante soon with my 10-year-old son to see Kraftwerk in concert. They are meant to have a great 3D visual show, sold it to him on that premise as my wife didn’t fancy going. Wonder if he’ll make it to the end or if he’ll be playing games on my mobile after 10 minutes 🤔😂
Last reminder for the meeting of the Shipbank Shipwrecks on Friday 28th, 12 onwards. Come on down and discuss theology, divinity and philosophy. Or just get pished.
Oh dear ..Joe Lewis for the high jump.
Insider trading.
Good fit for deidfc.
SAINT STIVS on 26TH JULY 2023 2:34 PM
Got a good look at the new kit, nephews bhoy wearing the full outfit to go on holiday.
It is not growing on me at all. I am hating the black stripes, the black pipind down the side, why, hating the ragged lines, hating the contrasting greens.
It is just not Green and White Hoops, it is a mess.
Now having said that the bhoy gets a new celtic kit every year to wear in the airport it is his thing.
He thinks he looks the business.
He is 26.
My three boys 24,21 and 11 all love the new kit. So aybe its targetted on the younger ones. Ive seen it in the flesh and no, an absolute no from me. Last years home kit took a while to grow on me and it certainly did but as you say the black and staggered hoops not for me either. I will of course be purchasing 3 in the coming weeks with the youngest demanding his is from Superstore at CP!
Hope young Maik has some of the defensive qualities of the ’70s Polish central defender, big Jerzy Gorgon, the main brick in the defensive wall that shut out England in a ‘knockout’ final qualifying match for the 1974 WC at Wembley.
Ably assisted it should be said by a ‘clown’ -(c) Cloughie- of a ‘keeper, Tomaszewski, who certainly had the last laugh that night.
Big Jerzy was 6’4″, at least.
SAINT STIVS on 26TH JULY 2023 2:34 PM
😂😂😂
I stopped buying jerseys a couple of years ago as I would have to shrink too much to fit into them. The new home jerse is obviously aimed at the younger crew but it’s the only home jersey I have ever disliked.
ADI_DASSLER NOT FOR 2ND BEST on 26TH JULY 2023 3:35 PM
Oh dear .Joe Lewis for the high jump. Insider trading. Good fit for deidfc
*did they no shaft him over the mutton transfer
PAULSTHROUGHBALL88 on 26TH JULY 2023 3:44 PM
Ably assisted it should be said by a ‘clown’ -(c) Cloughie- of a ‘keeper, Tomaszewski, who certainly had the last laugh that night.
*aye “walks like a woman and he wars a bra” was the biggest Coco on the field
Big Jerzy was 6’4″, at least.
Brendan.will use the last. 2 friendlies to experiment.
The Ross County game will see his preferred starting 11 but he will tinker in the first few games before settling on a starting team barring injury
TONTINE TIM on 26TH JULY 2023 4:05 PM
PAULSTHROUGHBALL88 on 26TH JULY 2023 3:44 PM
“Ably assisted it should be said by a ‘clown’ -(c) Cloughie- of a ‘keeper, Tomaszewski, who certainly had the last laugh that night.”
—————-
*aye “walks like a woman and he wars a bra” was the biggest Coco on the field
——————————-
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
SeinfeldCSC.
Haksabanovic has to make more of his chances, than he has up till now,made very little impact IMO
Celtic B game from last night.
https://twitter.com/CelticFCB/status/1684217026779152389?t=3ZMaZHej0hSiGX-XyBy4oA&s=19
HH
At 6′ 4″ big Gorgon would definitely need a big jerzy to fit that frame. 🥴😂
At first I too was really not sure about the new main jersey, and being a traditionalist I hate the Hoops being messed with!… However, my opinion was changed when I watched our first pre-season friendly. I think the black Adidas Stripes, numbers and piping reminds me of the classic white German strip and I think now it is very striking and makes our players look like awesome and intimidating professionals who mean business, and ARE The Business! 👍🍀. I also now think of the black connecting stripe not as ‘piping’ but as a MEAN STREAK!
Yes, it is fashionable too. After a slow (media-inspired?) start, I would not be surprised if this jersey becomes one of our most iconic and best-selling jerseys ever.
Remember this too; if the anti-Celtic SMSM have persuaded JUST ONE Supporter to not buy this particular jersey, then it is job done for them…
Yours in Celtic,
TB&F. 🙂🍀
TONTINE TIM
Think it was Norman “bites yer legs” Hunter who messed up that night,though ‘Shilts” didn’t cover himself in glory with the attempt to keep the shot out for the winner.
“Winner” in the sense that it got Poland the draw they needed, ended 1-1 (somehow).
https://news.sky.com/story/andrew-malkinson-rape-conviction-of-man-who-spent-17-years-in-prison-overturned-12927618
Absolutely scandalous…..
For all the Starfeldt knockers on here, remember, he is played out of position nine time out of tem.
Sure he makes the odd mistake, buy I really think he’s a solid defender.
KINGLuBO
PAULSTHROUGHBALL88 on 26TH JULY 2023 4:29 PM
TONTINE TIM
Think it was Norman “bites yer legs” Hunter who messed up that night,though ‘Shilts” didn’t cover himself in glory with the attempt to keep the shot out for the winner.
*I was still livin at hame at the time and thought it was their iconic captain that effed up
Big Wavy ist page.
Thank you a most informative post and I agree with what you say.
𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗨𝟮𝟯’𝘀:
🇩🇰 Matt O’Riley (22)
🇮🇱 Liel Abada (21)
🇵🇱 Maik Nawrocki (22)
🇳🇴 Odin Holm (20)
🇰🇷 Oh Hyeon-gyu (22)
🇦🇷 Alexandro Bernabei (22)
🇰🇷 Yang Hyun-Jun (21)
🇦🇺 Marco Tilio (21)
🇰🇷 Kwon Hyeok-kyu (22)
🏴 Stephen Welsh (23)
🇯🇵 Yuki Kobayashi
Your list is illuminating.
To reiterate I think Celtic have conducted their business to date in a professional competent manner.
However one thing , while I understand the philosophy of our young accusations ( And I totally endorse it ) I must raise a question of the viability of our academy in its current format.
Cheers and HH.
Greenpinata,
Cheers fella. Academy feels like it’s going through the motions and in need of a revamp. Think that will change. We need a better proposition for young kids who choose wee teams over us to get proper games. We need a better ladder to entice better players.
Academy to B team to Admira Wacker to loans to first team. Rapid progression for those who can make it and jumping up the ladder for the standouts. No sitting around as a 21/22 year old at B team level. Needs to be quick and tangible as the ones with the big pockets come and pick them up along the way.
Noticed we have a young Aussie CH kid with us on trial for the B team. Need to supplement Scots with the best of the rest.
HH
The Laurieston Bar looking lovely in the evening light. I may have to go in and check the quality of the Guinness.
Celtic b on you tube – in case you can’t get in twitter GuyFawkes
Carse was captain
https://youtu.be/1S5VoZCbcHQ
HH
Moravcik 67
Giving food for thought on a thread that is still current/wip
https://twitter.com/Moravcik67_/status/1684183066904875010?t=-On3mY8PTgdOaHPcfAOjPQ&s=19
HH
Glasgow has all the nightclubs I need?
Anyone?
BIGRAILROADBLUES on 26TH JULY 2023 5:39 PM
The Laurieston Bar looking lovely in the evening light. I may have to go in and check the quality of the Guinness.
BRB, down in Melrose at the moment and called in to The Ship after a thirst-invoking shopping spree with Mrs Emeraldbee. After a quick glance round I asked the young lady behind the bar ‘No-one drinking Guinness.’ ‘Not for a few hours’ was her reply. Not liking unused Guinness pipes I opted for a Moretti. The sun was shining on the beer garden mind you.
Emeraldbee
I do the same, look around and if no has a Guinness, I’ll go for something else.