Oliver Abildgaard is destined to spend just one season at Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, Rubin Kazan’s sporting director Oleg Yarovinsky tells Russian publication Sport Business.
Last term, the likes of Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Daizen Maeda all joined the Hoops on loan deals, with option-to-buy clauses included in their contracts. Clauses Celtic would go on to trigger. But things, as far as Abildgaard are concerned, are slightly different.
Ange Postecoglou himself has already admitted that the situation facing the 26-year-old Dane is far from ‘straightforward’.
And Yarovinsky now shines some light on a deal that few saw coming until the final few hours of the transfer window; Abildgaard arriving at Parkhead like a bolt from the proverbial blue.
Will Oliver Abildgaard spend just one season at Celtic?
“Abildgaard has a two-year contract with the club (Rubin Kazan). For the season, he goes to Celtic, taking advantage of the right to suspend the contract (due to FIFA legislation following the Ukraine confluct),” explains Yarovinsky.
“This was a position agreed between him and us.
“A loan often implies various options and obligations to the club from which they are loaned. Legally, he suspends his contract. But, in fact, this is a lease for a year. After that, he will return to us.
“Then we will be able to consider more profitable offers for his sale than we could get now,
A 6ft 4ins powerhouse of a midfielder, Abildgaard joins Celtic after deals for similarly-rangy ball-winners such as Vinicius Souza and Jani Atanasov were considered.
Will Abildgaard and Haksabanovic play vs Real Madrid?
“Oliver is a real captain. The leader of our team,” adds Yarovinsky. “He is the soul and body attached to the team and the club. Unlike some other foreigners (at Rubin), Oliver acted incredibly correctly, humanely and was constantly in touch with us.
“At some point, he even considered the possibility of returning to Rubin. But still, the Champions League, the opportunity to prove oneself (in Britain)… We must take this into account and respect it. He deserved this chance.”
Abildgaard is the third player in just one year to leave Rubin for Celtic. He joins Carl Starfelt and Sead Haksabanovic in green-and-white. And Rubin coach Leonid Slutsky is backing two of his former players to make an immediate impression at a club who will host Real Madrid in the Champions League group-stages this week.
“With the signings of Haksabanovic and Abildgaard, they can at least hope to qualify from the Champions League group,” Slutsky says.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
