CELTIC have confirmed the signing of Norwegian wonderkid Odin Thiago Holm from Valerenga.
The 20-year-old moves to the Hoops on a five-year-deal after completing his medical in London yesterday.
The 20-year-old Norwegian central-midfielder joins from Eliteserien club Valerenga and becomes Brendan Rodgers’ first signing of the new campaign.
Rodgers said: “We are delighted to bring Odin to the club and to secure his signing so early in the window.
“He is a player who has been in the club’s scouting and recruitment system for some time.
“I have looked at him closely and believe he is someone who can make a big impact at the club.
“I have spent time already with Odin, he is an ambitious, exciting young player and I know he is delighted to be joining us.
“He is a great addition to the quality squad we already have and we really look forward to working with him.”
A Norwegian youth international, Holm arrives at Parkhead with a lot of promise having played almost 100 senior games despite his tender age.
He was regarded as Valerenga’s “midfield jewel”, according to outlets in Norway ahead of his transfer to the Hoops and he was previously courted by Premier League big guns Man Utd and Liverpool as well as Italian giants Juventus.
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He had a trial with the Merseyside club before turning down offers from the Red Devils and the Old Lady.
Holm was highly-sought after and even had FC Copenhagen on his tail with reports suggesting the Norwegian club rejected a £2.2million bid from the Danish side in January.
But with the midfielder entering the final 12 months of his deal at Valerenga, they have opted to sell their prized asset and it’s Celtic who have won the race for his signature.
He featured in every match for the struggling Eliteserien this season before opting for the move to Scotland.
In 2020 he was named in The Guardian’s list of 60 best young talents in world football alongside Bayern Munich prodigy Jamal Musiala, Bayer Leverkusen sensation Florian Wirtz and then-PSG wonderkid Xavi Simons.
He changed his name in 2017, aged 14, to add in Thiago as his middle name in tribute to his football idol, Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara.
The 20-year-old is a centre-mid who has been likened to both Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley but it’s understood that the player will be brought in to develop his game with Celtic eyeing him for the future.
He becomes the latest Norwegian player to sign for Celtic, following in the footsteps of Kristoffer Ajer, Harald Brattbakk, Stefan Johansen, Mohamed Elyounoussi, Thomas Rogne among others.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
