Ajer targets top billing in his personal Euro vision
CELTS KID EYES FIRST TASTE OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
KRISTOFFER AJER can bear witness to the kind of alchemy that seems to fill the air on Champions League nights at Celtic Park. A bone-jarring wall of noise capable of inspiring some and reducing others to a quivering wreck.
To date, though, his testimony is based on experiences which have occurred while on the periphery of the action.
Ensuring he is front and centre stage if, or hopefully when, the strains of Zadok the Priest reverberate around the old place again, is now a matter of top priority.
‘I actually haven’t played in the group stage yet, so that’s something which would be a big achievement,’ said the Norwegian defender.
‘I’ve been on the bench a few times but haven’t quite made it on to the park. But it was still an incredible experience being that close. Celtic fans are the best in the world and, when it’s an evening game against a big name, there is nothing which can beat it.
‘To sit on the bench was an incredible experience and I’m sure it’s a fantastic experience as well to play. So it would be great to qualify.’
There is much work to be done on and off the field before that scenario nears reality. Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo joined Christopher Jullien and Luca Connell after the finishing touches were last night applied to his £3million move from Rapid Vienna.
There remains, though, a deficit of three or four blue-chip players in the squad.
Sarajevo, who Neil Lennon’s side face in their opening qualifier on Tuesday, ought to be eliminated with something to spare.
But, if a return to the business end of the competition is to be achieved, a further transfusion of quality will be required.
‘The qualifiers are high-pressure games,’ added Ajer. ‘It’s a big, big aim for the club to reach the group stage.
‘When you have to play eight games before that, it’s tough but
that’s our job and we have to cope with that.
‘There will be tough moments along the way. We’re playing teams who have got the same targets as us.
‘We will play some really strong teams who have won the league in their own countries. But we go into every single game looking to win it.
‘That’s our main target. We were disappointed last year to lose to AEK Athens.’
One area where Lennon is certainly better served for options now is at centre-half. Jullien, the 6ft 5in former Toulouse defender, rivals Ajer’s claim for the tallest player at the club. Jozo Simunovic and Jack Hendry, meanwhile, are also towering figures at well over 6ft. There will inevitably be a degree of mixing and matching in this area from the manager, but it will be intriguing to see who is given the nod to eventually partner the new £7m signing.
‘Christopher is another experienced centre-half who will bring a lot of qualities to the team,’ continued Ajer.
‘Jozo was fantastic in the second half of last season and there are many top centre-halves.
‘It’s always good to bring in even more quality into the dressing room.
‘He (Jullien) will bring competition for places. That’s the way it is here. There will always be competition and a strong, strong squad fighting every day to play. That’s nothing new here.’
You wouldn’t doubt that Ajer would privately back himself to emerge from the three-way fight to partner the Frenchman.
He improved markedly with every outing last season and, as it entered its final straight, looked every inch the classy ball-playing centre-half Celtic believed they had signed when Ajer moved from Start three years ago.
You could only imagine that further exposure to the rough and tumble will hone his game even further. The potential that the 21-year-old has is limitless.
‘I’m really looking forward to the season ahead,’ he said.
‘I’m still young and have lots to learn but I feel like I developed really well last year and I’m in a much better place this pre-season than last year.
‘I had so many great memories last year as part of the group but also as an individual.
‘I look back on a great season for the club when we won the treble Treble but now we have to forget about that and look forward.
‘Reaching the Champions League would help me improve personally.
‘We always want to go through, so this year it’s definitely one of our main targets.
‘If you get through, you are playing against the best teams in the world and, for young and experienced players, that’s a great experience, especially at Celtic Park.’
The influence of John Kennedy on the young Norwegian over the past three years is hard to quantify.
One of the most complete centrehalves to have come through at Celtic Park in many a long year, the way his career was prematurely ended through injury hardly needs repeating.
Commendably philosophical about what happened, Kennedy has taken comfort in coaching and Ajer is hugely grateful that the former defender is on the premises to offer expertise and guidance.
‘He’s been fantastic from the minute I came in,’ explained Ajer.
‘We’ve been working really close together after every single session, working on the defensive part of my game.
‘He’s been helping me every single day. He’s really been fantastic for me.
‘I’ve not seen clips of him as a player but he keeps telling me that he was fantastic!
‘Every time I do something wrong, he will show me and, to be fair, he’s got a great right foot so he shows me how it should be done. Then I try to learn from him.
‘He hasn’t mentioned his performance in Barcelona yet, but I know he was a great player who injured his knee which was obviously sad. But the way he’s been teaching me has been fantastic.
‘His story shows you that you have to remember to enjoy every single part of it.
‘That’s what you have to do as a Celtic player. There are always games coming up but it’s always important to look back and really think about what you have achieved.
‘You need to have a nice mix between looking back and looking forward.’