Celtic’s defence of the Scottish Premiership title has already seen them slip up in only the second game of the season as they drew 1-1 with Kilmarnock at the weekend. Despite the fact they could not get the victory, defender Kristoffer Ajer still put in a very good performance and it bodes very well for the season.
As it stands the result puts them fourth in the Premiership, but as it is only the second game of the division, manager Neil Lennon will not be too worried and will hope that they can get back to winning ways in their next fixture.
Whilst football was postponed, there were a lot of rumours around Ajer, with many teams in Europe interested in signing the player, including AC Milan, Everton, Leicester City, Manchester City and Wolves. Considering his solid performance on Sunday, it is easy to see why he has attracted so much interest as he was the one shining light in an otherwise disappointing afternoon again Killie.
The Norwegian picked up a 7.3 rating from SofaScore, which was the joint-best on the pitch and looking into his stats from the game, it looked like he dealt with the Kilmarnock attack very well. The centre-back made three clearances, blocked two shots and made two tackles, whilst also winning two of his ground duels and four of his eight aerial duels, per SofaScore. He was also a very good influence for the attack as he made three key passes and completed three long passes.
Some players have their heads turned when transfer rumours circulate around them, but it looks like the 22 year-old has been very mature in the way he has dealt with the speculation and is very focused on his football and winning the title again as the Hoops look to make Scottish history and be the first team to win ten consecutive titles.
The player is valued at £3.60 million on Transfermarkt, but if he keeps on performing as well as he has done, then the Hoops will definitely be able to put an even bigger price tag on the player than the £20 million they reportedly have set currently.
Celtic fans, what are your thoughts on Ajer and how good was his performance? Comment below!
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