Celtic signing this 30-year-old seasoned veteran would be a good defensive boost for Lennon

Why Celtic should reignite interest in Mathias Jorgensen

Back in June 2019, a report from The Scottish Sun (h/t Examiner Live) had claimed that Celtic were interested in signing Danish international centre-back Mathias Jorgensen, who was then plying his trade with Huddersfield Town. However, rumours of a potential switch to Parkhead never came to fruition as the defender eventually joined Turkish giants Fenerbahce last summer.

Profile

Mathias Jorgensen started his professional career at FC Copenhagen during the 2007-08 season and went on to make 129 appearances over the course of five campaigns. The centre-back joined PSV Eindhoven in 2012 but struggled to make much of an impression, featuring largely for the club’s reserve team. 

He rebuilt his reputation after returning to his homeland with Copenhagen in 2014 and racked up 132 appearances over three seasons before earning a coveted move to the Premier League with Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2017.

Jorgensen featured 65 times for the Terriers in all competitions over two seasons before the Yorkshire outfit was eventually relegated to the Championship. 

Jorgensen moved on to join Fenerbahce following Huddersfield’s relegation and spent time on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf in the German Bundesliga during the second half of last season. The centre-back returned to his boyhood club Copenhagen on loan for the 2020-21 campaign. A full international for Denmark since 2008, Jorgensen has earned 33 caps for his nation so far.

Jorgensen would offer Celtic more stability at the back

Celtic roped in Shane Duffy on a season-long loan deal from Brighton during the summer window to bolster their centre-back ranks. The Irishman enjoyed an impressive start to his life at Parkhead before coming under some serious scrutiny for a string of lacklustre displays at the heart of the defence heading into the final international break of 2020.

Duffy, though, is not the only one to blame for what has been a collective defensive failure at Celtic this season. The Hoops managed only two wins from their last seven games in all competitions heading into the international break, conceding 15 goals over that period.

The back injury to Christopher Jullien has dealt a huge blow to the club’s defensive depth while Hatem Abd Elhamed also missed a series of games after testing positive for Covid-19. Lennon hasn’t hesitated to rely on utility star Nir Bitton to do a job at the back but the Israeli international has often struggled against quality opposition, especially in the Europa League. 

Suffice to say, Celtic should definitely target a new centre-back to sort out their defensive conundrum and reigniting interest in Mathias Jorgensen would make a lot of sense in footballing terms. The vastly-experienced Dane boasts close to 400 club career appearances, having plied his trade in Denmark, Holland, England, Turkey and Germany to varying degrees of success. 

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Verdict

Celtic should keep an eye on some alternatives in the market as a part of their long-term plans, with Duffy set to return to Brighton at the end of his loan spell next summer.

Mathias Jorgensen still has a lot to offer at 30 and he could well be an excellent addition to the Hoops’ defensive ranks with all his experience and know-how at the highest level.