Skip to content

Transfer news: On-loan Celtic striker John Guidetti delays talks over his future

Image: John Guidetti: Striker delays talks over future

Celtic manager Ronny Deila has revealed that on-loan striker John Guidetti has delayed talks over his long-term future.

The 22-year-old Swede made a superb start after joining the Hoops on loan from Manchester City on September 1, scoring 11 goals in 10 matches.

However, he has failed to find the net in his last six appearances and has not even made it off the bench for the recent wins over Hamilton and Motherwell with Leigh Griffiths starting up front.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Celtic manager Ronny Deila reveals he came close to signing Norwegian teenager Martin Ødegaard who has joined Real Madrid

Celtic are believed to have agreed a fee with Manchester City to sign Guidetti on a permanent deal at the end of the season but he is keeping his options open amid reported interest from Southampton.

Deila, who is "100 per cent sure" that Guidetti will complete his season-long loan, said: "We've been speaking with John for a long time but he's decided now he wants to wait to see what his options are until March or April, maybe longer, so there won't be any final decision this month.

“But we know we have him until the end of the season."

Griffiths praised

Live SPFL Football

Meanwhile, Deila has praised Griffiths for his performances in the last two games, the striker netting one of Celtic’s goals in Wednesday’s 4-0 win over Motherwell.

Deila said: "There is big competition up front and it's also about the opponents we meet but Leigh has made improvement in a lot of things. He looks sharper now and needs even more confidence.

"I believe in him. I think he's a very exciting player and his left foot is world-class, I've not seen any player have a better left foot in my life. He has skills but again you have to perform over time when you play at Celtic.

"I wouldn't play him if I wanted him to leave. We made some demands of him and he has really, really worked hard to tune into that. He still needs to improve, everybody does, but he is getting to a new level.

"You saw on Wednesday how much he works for the team, how sharp he is, and he scored a very nice goal as well. So he is going in the right direction.

"He has played the last two games and we have won the games and he has played well, so he has in a better position than three or four weeks ago."

Around Sky