Celtic striker Albian Ajeti was hoping to get his career back on track when he joined the Bhoys – but it hasn’t gone to plan so far.
The Swiss attacker had been a misfit at West Ham United, making just nine Premier League appearances for the Hammers before being sold on to Celtic.
Ajeti actually starred with Basel, hitting 37 goals in 75 games for the club to earn his move to England, but he was barely given a chance at West Ham.
A reunion with ex-Basel teammate Mohamed Elyounoussi seemed ideal at Celtic, and many backed him to find his goalscoring touch again after his £5m move.
However, Ajeti wasn’t even in the matchday squad to face Rangers on Sunday, and is already becoming something of a forgotten man at Parkhead.
He has only featured in six league games in 2021, and with interim boss John Kennedy seemingly unconvinced, Ajeti finds himself in a very tricky situation.
Intriguingly, Celtic are thought to be keen on landing Manchester City Under-23 boss Enzo Maresca as a replacement for Neil Lennon, and that could be interesting for Ajeti.
Maresca was a key coach at West Ham in Ajeti’s first four months at the club, in which he failed to really convince Manuel Pellegrini of his quality.
Should Maresca end up at Celtic, it could go either way for Ajeti.
Maresca may know how to get the best out of Ajeti having worked with him on a daily basis, or may have seen more than enough to feel like Ajeti isn’t a player for him.
That existing connection is something Ajeti will be well aware of, and with the striker desperately needing a change to get back on track, he may well be hoping that Maresca likes him.
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