Kasper Dolberg transfer confirmed as Celtic linked with three free agent strikers

The Anderlecht striker was the no.1 target for the Parkhead side on transfer deadline day but the move collapsed when his former club Ajax entered the reckoning.

Dolberg subsequently turned down the chance to move to Celtic in favour of a return to Amsterdam six years after his big-money exit to Nice in 2019.

The 27-year-old Denmark international has penned a four-year deal with the Dutch giants while Celtic have been left to scour the free agent market after failing to land a replacement for Adam Idah, who departed for Swansea on deadline day.

Ajax technical director Alex Kroes said: "Kasper is back on familiar ground. He knows Ajax, the club knows him and his qualities.

"As far as we are concerned, he fits perfectly into our current squad as a striker and makes us stronger and more versatile in the different competitions in which we compete.

"We are delighted that he has once again chosen Ajax and look forward to his contribution in the coming seasons."

Three strikers linked

Celtic could still add a striker who is a free agent and in the past 24 hours they have been linked with Kelechi Iheanacho, whose contract at Sevilla was terminated on Monday, former Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford and Emmanuel Dennis, who was released by Nottingham Forest at the weekend after agreeing to terminate his contract.

Chris Sutton expressed bewilderment at Celtic’s lack of transfer activity in what he described as “the most remarkable window of all time”.

Hoops fans have been left enraged after the Scottish champions emerged from the summer window with even fewer established strikers, despite manager Brendan Rodgers indicating consistently that they needed to strengthen in that department.

Celtic signed two strikers this summer but one, 19-year-old former Fulham attacker Callum Osmand, is yet to play a first-team game and the other, Shin Yamada, arrived on the back of netting twice in 21 J-League appearances this year. He is yet to find the net for his new club.

Former striker Sutton was flabbergasted that his old club did not do more to replenish their strikeforce and fears they have opened the door for others to challenge them for the title.

“The most remarkable window of all time,” Sutton posted on X. “Celtic have come out of it weaker…at least Celtic are doing everything they can for there to be a title race this season…going into a season with great expectation and excitement after a few weeks the feeling now is utter deflation…”

The anger at the lack of game-changing signings this window has been heightened by the fact they sold key winger Nicolas Kuhn to Como and Idah to Swansea to the tune of around £17million profit.

‘Absolute amateur shambles’

Matt McGlone, a prominent Celtic-supporting author who led a rally that helped overthrow the Hoops board in the early 1990s, said the club’s inability to bolster the attack this summer shows they have no desire to retain Rodgers beyond the end of his contract next summer.

He posted on X: “What an absolute amateur shambles. This isn’t how any club should be run. The faith and trust is gone. How the hierarchy recover from this seems impossible. When you lose the people who have supported through thick n thin you have nothing. It’s clear they don’t want Rodgers!”

John Paul Dykes of A Celtic State of Mind podcast believes Celtic, who are preparing to play in the Europa League, have blown the chance to build on last season’s Champions League exploits, when they made it to the knockout play-off round before losing to Bayern Munich in stoppage time.

“Brendan Rodgers wants to progress, but some at Celtic seem to lack that ambition and vision, they just want to be the top dogs in Glasgow, and that’s not enough for Brendan Rodgers,” Dykes told Sky Sports.

“It’s not enough for a lot of the fans, people that speak to us on a daily basis, we want to push on in Europe. Only six months ago we did very well on the European stage, but we haven’t built on that.

“We talk about Brendan Rodgers staying until the end of the season but I wonder how he’s feeling this morning, after last night.”