WE CAN STRIKE IT RICH
Ajeti aims to be ideal partner for Edouard
CELTIC new Bhoy Albian Ajeti last night vowed to be the perfect strike partner for Odsonne Edouard.
The Swiss international striker put pen to paper on a four-year deal after the Scottish champions agreed to pay West Ham £5million for his services.
A personal intervention by Neil Lennon persuaded the 23-year-old to move to Glasgow and he also talked over the move with former Basel team-mate Mohamed Elyounoussi.
And Ajeti insists he is here to complement rather than replace £40m man Edouard in the push for ten in a row.
‘I have seen some of his (Edouard’s) games
and I think he and I could be a good match,’ he said. ‘We could be perfect together. ‘If you have two quite good strikers, it’s always good for a team.
‘Celtic have always played attractive football. We will both be in the box, always there where it can be dangerous. It is a good match. ‘I might be a smaller striker than he is but I think it’s a good match.’
The outlay on Ajeti takes Celtic’s summer spend to £10m, following the capture of Greek international goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas.
Lennon will now turn his attention to securing another central defender, with talks underway over a one-year loan deal for no-nonsense Republic of Ireland defender Shane Duffy. The capture of defensive reinforcements is likely to herald a switch to a 3-5-2 formation, with Edouard and Ajeti teaming up in attack. Celtic’s league game with Aberdeen has been postponed as a consequence of Boli Bolingoli’s reckless disregard of Covid-19 protocols. But Ajeti insists he is ready to go straight into the squad for Tuesday night’s Champions League first qualifying round home tie with KR Reykjavik. ‘I’ve been on my holidays, but I’ve been working with a personal trainer, so I have been keeping myself sharp,’ he said. ‘I think I’m ready. There is no better place to play Champions League football than Celtic, with these fans.
‘Unfortunately, the supporters can’t watch us right now but as soon as they are back there will be nowhere better. ‘The atmosphere in the stadium will be amazing and it would be great to play games in the Champions League.’ Ajeti was initially expected to sign on a one-year loan with an option to buy but West Ham’s preference was always for a permanent deal.
Keen to put down roots after spending less than a year in London, he explained: ‘The type of deal was between the clubs, not just me. But I am more than happy that I have signed for four years. ‘I have signed a contract at Celtic for four years and I want to be at a club like this for that time. ‘I want to share all the great moments with the top fans we have here, and the top players. ‘That is why I came to Celtic and I want to be here for a very long time.’