I Felt Completely Joyless at Celtic F.C.” — Odin Thiago Holm Opens Up on Painful Spell, Injury Nightmare and Why Returning Home Could Finally Help Him Fall Back in Love with Football Again

SCO: Celtic FC v Athletic Club – Pre-Season Friendly Odin Thiago Holm of Celtic FC looks on prior the pre-season friendly match between Celtic FC and Athletic Club at Celtic Park on August 1, 2023, in Glasgow, Spain. Glasgow Celtic Park Glasgow Scotland RL_CELvATH_035 Copyright: xRicardoxLarreinax

Midfielder Odin Thiago Holm has been sent out on loan once more by Celtic F.C. after an injury-hit spell.

Holm has labelled his underwhelming time with Celtic so far as “joyless”.

And the midfielder is hopeful that a temporary return to Norway can help him regain his passion for the sport.

The 23-year-old — who officially adopted the middle name Thiago in tribute to his childhood hero, former Liverpool F.C. and FC Barcelona star Thiago Alcântara in 2017 — was brought in by Brendan Rodgers in a £2.6million move from Vålerenga Fotball in the summer of 2023 but has featured just 16 times for the club, netting once.

Holm travelled to the United States in January 2025 to join MLS side Los Angeles FC but made only five appearances before picking up a serious leg injury. Last October, Holm revealed that the extent of the muscle issue had left him feeling “half paralysed”.

The former Norway youth international returned to Vålerenga for the remainder of the year last week and admits the shortage of playing time in Glasgow’s East End made the situation even more challenging.

Speaking on the VG podcast, he said: “I’ve missed being here (Valerenga). I’ve been really looking forward to coming back.

“It’s been tough. Glasgow is a tough city. When you don’t have a social network and you end up in a situation where you’re not playing football, it’s hard to find many sources of joy.

“There wasn’t much joy in football, and that’s natural when you don’t play.

“My first priority is to enjoy football again. It was really good to get a session here again. The body feels good.”

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