Can culture vulture Erik plug gaps for Celts?
THE incessant pressure that comes with being manager of Celtic means a progressive mindset can swiftly result in a spell of unemployment. As John Barnes and Tony Mowbray will testify, you can quickly be tossed aside as an idealist rather than a visionary.
Ronny Deila is of a similar mould. Since arriving at the club in the summer of 2014, he has repeatedly stated his desire to develop players and build his own team.
But when domestic dominance became rapidly interchangeable with utter ineptitude in Europe, serious doubt was always going to be cast over whether he would be given the time to see the job through.
After three failures to reach the group stage of the Champions League, along with a ruinous exit from the Europa League this season, only the more charitable among the Celtic fanbase believed the Norwegian should be given the necessary funds to buy the bricks he wanted.
Peter Lawwell and his colleagues in the Parkhead boardroom have now made their intentions known. In supplying their manager with the £1.5million to secure the services of Danish centre-half Erik Sviatchenko, they have offered the clearest indication that Deila will be granted a fourth attempt when the Champions League qualifiers come around in July.
Sviatchenko signed a four-and-ahalf year deal last night after Celtic triggered a release clause in his contract from FC Midtjylland, apparently trumping rival interest from Bundesliga and Serie A clubs to secure the highly-rated Danish international.
The son of Ukrainian-born artist Sergei, who describes himself as a ‘provocateur in the world of contemporary art’, Sviatchenko has an unusual background for a footballer. He is a culture vulture who lists art and literature as two of his passions in life.
‘My father came to Denmark from the old Soviet Union with a single suitcase,’ Sviatchenko explained. ‘He spoke neither English nor Danish, but made it clear that he would learn. He believed it offered the best chance to be creative.
‘He told me to always give 100 per cent in everything in life and I have followed his example. I don’t think I am the most talented footballer in the world, but not many people have fought as hard as me to reach their targets.
‘My hobbies are art, literature, music and fashion. I am a very creative and spontaneous person and sometimes it may differ from the football world.
‘But the football environment doesn’t bore me — it’s just different. I love coming to the club and talking about things that might not be as high level, but are just as important in a football sense.
‘In my childhood, I often went travelling abroad with my father to London, Paris, Milan for art exhibitions and meetings with some of art and fashion’s greatest icons.’
Sviatchenko’s ability to help Celtic return to similarly glamorous European locations next season will have a direct influence on Deila’s job security.
He is likely to partner Jozo Simunovic in the heart of defence and Deila will hope the two can forge the kind of partnership that Virgil van Dijk and Jason Denayer enjoyed last season.
Since those two departed the club in the summer, the position of centre-half has caused the Celtic manager no end of problems. Tyler Blackett and Dedryck Boyata are patently not the answer, while Efe Ambrose continues to operate with the kind of uncertainty which inspires confidence in even the most modest of strikers.
In six Europa League games this season, Celtic shipped 12 goals. Across 38 league games last season, they conceded just 17. It is a highly problematic position and the signing of Sviatchenko offers a clear sign of forward planning from the club’s hierarchy. He should be of a strong enough mindset to make the grade at Celtic, revealing that he once sought guidance from Danish psychology coach Rene Petersen to toughen him up.
‘I was too soft and I needed someone to challenge me mentally,’ said Sviatchenko. ‘For example, I would be afraid after the game what the players would think about me.
‘So Rene helped me focus on the tough world of football. I think it has improved me as a player, but it won’t change my values off the park.’
Capped four times by Denmark, Sviatchenko also stated that money is not his driving influence.
‘The Ukrainian club Karpaty Lviv offered me a salary of three times what I was getting in Denmark,’ he said. ‘I speak fluent Ukrainian, so there would have been no problems adapting, but I turned it down. ‘I said no for sporting reasons. Of course, money is important, but it is not the primary concern for me.
‘My dream is one day to go to Monaco for a week and take my whole family and pay for everything. But that requires two things — hard work and time. I still have a long way to go before that.’
In allowing Deila to strengthen his squad, Lawwell will expect results. Some might even maintain he needs to win the Treble this season just to keep his job.
With the draw for the Champions League group stage taking place in Monaco, Sviatchenko will hope his dream of visiting the principality can be realised with Celtic’s name in the hat in August.