‘Incredible’: Director thinks player he signed from Celtic is ‘world-class’

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Bayer Leverkusen’s managing director Simon Rolfes is not surprised to see Jeremie Frimpong catch the eye of Manchester United and Real Madrid, telling BuliNews that the former Celtic whizzkid is a full-back with ‘world-class’ abilities. 

Two years after breaking the bank on Jadon Sancho, could Manchester United return to a familiar hunting ground for another former City youngster who blossomed in the Bundesliga?

Frimpong spent nearly a decade in sky blue before heading north of the border in 2019. It took just 51 games in the green-and-white of Celtic, meanwhile, to convince a Bayer Leverkusen side with a history of unearthing diamonds in the rough that they had found another gem in Frimpong; that £11 million investment almost certain to earn the Bundesliga giants a sizeable profit. 

Real Madrid and Manchester United are already keeping tabs of one of Europe’s fastest footballers on the back of an explosive start to the current campaign. 

Former Celtic starlet Jeremie Frimpong now thriving in the Bundesliga

“His profile as a fast player with incredible acceleration and good technique was clear. But the conclusion wasn’t, as he could improve other things. He created three or four possible chances per game, but his final ball wasn’t that good,” Rolfes explains.

“I thought that, if I didn’t put my trust in our coaches to help him improve that, then when would I ever choose to sign a player? Because how many full-backs are able to create three or four possible chances (a game)? Not at lot.”

Five goals and three assists already; Frimpong is certainly adding a ruthless streak to his game at the Bay Arena. There are no such concerns about his end product these days. 

“His ability to accelerate and decelerate is world-class. If you’re world-class at something at Celtic and in the Bundesliga, that’s also the case in other leagues,” Rolfes adds.

“There were other things he had to improve when he came, and he has done fantastic. He has the right ambition to work on himself.

“The signing of Frimpong is a good example of how we use data. We were looking for a fast full-back, and he was on the list. Then we went deeper and analysed him.”

Celtic included a sell-on clause in Frimpong’s contract when cashing in during January 2021. They, like Leverkusen, look set for a major windfall sooner rather than later with interest in the Amsterdan-born whizzkid on the rise.