Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko is on loan at FC Midtjylland and Premier League survival hopefuls Crystal Palace will need a centre-back.
After failing to start a single Scottish Premiership game all season, Danish international centre-back Erik Sviatchenko jumped at the chance to return to his homeland with FC Midtjylland on loan during the January transfer window.
Sviatchenko had fallen down the pecking order at Celtic thanks to the emergence of Dedryck Boyata and the signing of Marvin Compper, not to mention Nir Bitton’s revival as a centre-half. Although the 26-year-old has found first-team football easier to come by in Denmark, starting twice since returning to the Superliga.
And it seems that Sviatchenko’s ambitions stretch beyond a long-term stay in Scandinavia. After all, Crystal Palace signed striker Alexander Sorloth from Midtjylland in January for £9 million, as reported by the BBC, giving Sviatchenko hope that a spell at the MCH Arena can help him kick on, too.
“Sorloth is a good example of what can happen in half a year. I’m not saying I’m going to do a Sorloth. I’m just saying it’s not such a big step from here to the big leagues,” Sviatchenko told Jyllands Posten.
“Midtjylland will help me, as I will help them. We must make sure that I’m in the best way come the summer.”
Crystal Palace could find themselves in need of a new centre-half in the summer with Scott Dann suffering a serious injury, Damien Delaney and Martin Kelly out of contract and Timothy Fosu-Mensah only on loan at Selhurst Park from Manchester United.
So Palace could do worse than to keep a close eye on Midtjylland for the rest of this season. Sorloth, in just one appearance, already looks like a very exciting signing so there is clearly value to be had in the Danish league.
If Sviatchenko enhances his reputation away from Celtic, what are the chances that he too could earn a move to Palace?
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