Marvin Compper hasn’t made a single Scottish Premiership appearance since he moved to Celtic from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig in January.
Back in January, there was no shortage of Celtic fans expressing fears about the potential signing of Marvin Compper.
After all, paying £1 million (BBC) for a 33-year-old defender who had barely played over the previous few months for RB Leipzig felt like a big risk. And, almost 12 months after Compper sealed his move to Parkhead, those fears have hardly been allayed.
The one-time German international, who won his only international cap back in 2009, has struggled with almost endless injury problems since arriving in Scotland. In fact, his only appearance in Celtic colours came in a Scottish Cup clash against Greenock Morton back in March.
And, inevitably, the issue of Compper reared its head during Celtic’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday. While plenty of fingers have been pointed at Lee Congerton, the club’s Head of Recruitment, manager Brendan Rodgers admits that he deserves criticism for one of the worst signings in Celtic’s recent history.
“Marvin was brought in to provide experience but he has struggled for fitness and the unpredictability of his fitness has played a part. If anyone is to blame then blame me,” Rodgers said, as reported by the Daily Record.
“Marvin is an extremely professional and it’s an emotional time towards the end of your career. He has been a great help to the younger players.”
If fit, Compper could have offered Celtic with some much needed experience and leadership in defence, while the veteran’s ability to play the ball out from the back seemingly makes him a good fit for Rodgers’ tactical blueprint.
But it seems somewhat unavoidable now that Compper will not reach the end of a contract which is due to expire in 2020.
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