An integral part of last season’s successes at Celtic, it was a bit surprising to see Carl Starfelt leave the club for Celta Vigo this summer for just €5m following the arrival of Brendan Rodgers.
The centre-back was sold to the Spanish side despite starting the last 20 games of the Premiership after his return from a knee injury.
He had spent the last two years at Celtic following a €5m transfer from Rubin Kazan in Russia, where he immediately enjoyed his time in Scotland, leaving him a bit sad when he made his exit his summer, admitting as much to the local media in Sweden during the international break.
Speaking to Fotbollskanalen, he was asked how the move to Spain, where he is now playing under Rafa Benitez came about.
He said: “They made contact and showed very clearly that they wanted me, and then it took some time before everything was ready. But they were persistent and that was important. They presented a good project. They want to take chances and make their way up the table. They’ve brought in Rafa Benitez as a manager, things like that.”
Revealing it was a dream of his to play in La Liga, which he described as ‘one of the best leagues in the world’, the 28-year-old also admitted that his girlfriend, Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, making a switch from Celtic to Sporting CP this summer did have an impact on his decision to agree to the transfer.
As for his feelings when he left Celtic, he said: “I got a little sentimental. I will always be grateful for my time at Celtic. I will look back on it after my career as two very fun years.”
