Celtic return to Scottish Premiership duty this weekend as they aim to narrow the deficit to Hearts.
The Hoops travel to face Hearts away from home in the league, currently sitting six points adrift of their opponents after 22 matches. Celtic come into the fixture on the back of a 2-2 draw with Bologna in the Europa League, with Reo Hatate and Auston Trusty both getting on the scoresheet.
Martin O’Neill has stepped back into the dugout as interim boss following the club’s decision to dismiss Wilfried Nancy. Club chiefs are continuing their search for a long-term replacement ahead of the summer, but for now O’Neill is focused on mounting a title challenge.
Celtic new signing Tomas Cvancara linked with ‘disruptive’ claims
According to BBC Sport, reports have suggested that new Celtic forward Tomas Cvancara was a ‘disruptive’ presence in the Borussia Monchengladbach dressing room. The striker has been allowed to complete a loan move to Celtic Park with an option to buy included. He spent the first half of the current campaign on loan at Antalyaspor in Turkey’s Super Lig, where he failed to leave a lasting impression.
Cvancara, 25, is a Czech Republic international who has earned eight senior caps to date. Celtic have added him to strengthen their attacking options, providing increased competition and squad depth in forward areas.
He arrived at Gladbach in 2023 and has registered eight goals in 54 appearances across all competitions for the Bundesliga side. Before his move to Germany, he enjoyed a prolific spell at Sparta Prague, scoring 24 goals in 49 matches in the Czech Super League. His earlier career also included stints with Jablonec, Slavoj Vysehrad and Opava.
Celtic signing responds to ‘disruptive’ talk
With speculation surrounding Cvancara’s time at Gladbach, Celtic legend Pat Bonner has played down the concerns. He said: “Dressing rooms are funny, you know. Honestly, I’ve been in many different types of dressing rooms with different groups of players. Disruptive, you know, it depends on the group of players.
“Sometimes you get a group that’s very, very tight and somebody else coming in to take their place or do something and it doesn’t work out. I wouldn’t read too much into that, to be perfectly honest. He’s got to come in here and score goals. That’s what he’s got to do and see if he scores goals, he’ll be accepted. We were all difficult characters! We all fitted in well together and we were all leaders”
Former Scotland striker James McFadden also weighed in, saying: “Reports are he was unhappy and wanted to move. We’ve seen players that do whatever they can to get out of the situation they’re in. So, I mean, it probably helped him. I know he’s maybe looking back and saying, you know, that’s the way I was because I wanted out of the club.
“But it’s worked because he got out of the club. He got what he wanted and you get some players that make their feelings known. You can tell they’re unhappy. They’re desperate to leave, but they train and they do the right things and they don’t disrupt training.”