Celtic: Starfelt happy at club ‘right now’

Celtic defender Carl Starfelt has admitted that he is happy with life in the Scottish Premiership ‘right now’ amid recent exit links.

The Lowdown: Attracting interest

The Hoops centre-back made the move to Parkhead from Rubin Kazan back in 2021 and he’s gone on to become a regular feature under Ange Postecoglou, making 75 appearances.

The Swedish international is currently the manager’s overall joint-second top-performing player with a match rating of 7.36, with his impressive displays having caught the eye south of the border.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the 27-year-old’s situation will be ‘one to watch’ in the summer with several unnamed English top-flight clubs monitoring him ahead of the upcoming window.

The Latest: Starfelt’s comments

Speaking during a recent interview with Fotbollskanalen, Starfelt was asked whether he would be keen on a move to England.

As quoted by The Daily Record, he revealed he’s very happy in Glasgow and his agent is taking care of things:

“No, I like it very much as it is right now. My agent will take care of the rest and then if something comes up, we’ll deal with it then. But I have no thoughts right now except for Celtic.

“It’s fantastic. Of course, it is something special to win great titles and it is something you really strive for as a football player. To be able to be at a club where it is expected of you and where it means so much to so many people is also incredible and a great feeling.

“We dominate in matches and get a lot of the ball. Defending high, and having a lot of play as well, I have had to develop many, many areas. It’s a big club where you are expected to win so you really have to push yourself to develop all the time.”

The Verdict: Great news for Ange

Starfelt has been dubbed a ‘cornerstone’ by Postecoglou himself so it’ll be great news for the boss to learn that his defender is committed to seeing out the project at Celtic.

The Bhoys star currently averages 4.8 aerial wins and 4.4 clearances per league gam,e showing his physical presence both on and off the ground whilst recording a 91.8% pass success rate, highlighting his calmness and composure when playing out from the back (WhoScored).

The Stockholm native has also netted two goals and provided one assist this season so is a threat in the final third when it comes to set pieces and picking a pass (Transfermarkt).

Starfelt’s contract isn’t set to expire until 2025 so the Hoops are in a strong negotiating position, but they should still do everything they can to keep hold of him beyond the summer.