When it came to the signings of both young talent Jason Denayer and the potential-filled John Guidetti, the majority of Celtic fans couldn’t help but be as intrigued as they were excited. Both men arrived at Celtic Park with big reputations and a determination to impress – something that is always endorsed by the Celtic support. However, by the end of their respective loan spells, both men couldn’t have made as different an impact as opposed to the other if they tried.
It was young Denayer that left the Hoops impressed with his clear potential and indeed current ability. After forming one of the most solid centre-back partnerships in recent history for Celtic with Dutchman Virgil van Dijk, it was clear to see why he sees himself as a long-term replacement to fellow Belgian Vincent Kompany in the Manchester City defence. His composure on the ball as well as his awareness of those around him showed maturity way beyond his current 19-year-old age. Throughout his time in Scotland, he boosted his reputation ten-fold and won himself two medals in the form of the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup. This was no surprise to the Celtic fans who had seem him grow and grow in his role alongside classy defender Van Dijk; but what does remain is the question as to whether the Dutchman made Denayer look better than he is.
Whenever there was trouble brewing in the defensive area for Celtic, it was often Van Dijk as opposed to Denayer who was there to mop up. It was he who ended the season with an even bigger reputation than young Denayer, and time will tell as to whether the Belgian can succeed without the former Groningen man covering him. Nevertheless, Denayer can be delighted with the progress he has made in his season-long stint in Glasgow, as he returns to the Etihad a better player than he left.
One player who can’t say the same, however, is fellow Manchester City loanee John Guidetti. The “Swedish Superman”, as he became known at the beginning of his spell at the Scottish Champions, also came with a glowing reputation after previous praise from both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Celtic legend Henrik Larsson respectively. It was expected by Celtic manager Ronny Deila that the Swede would become his number one striker as the season progressed. The situation couldn’t have turned out more differently.
Nobody can deny that Guidetti started the season on fire, slamming home 11 goals in his first nine games for the club, earning himself near cult-hero status early-on in the season. This is where it all went wrong for the former Stoke City loanee. As the season wore on and the games came thick and fast, he began to look disinterested, unfit, and looked as though he lacked the quality he clearly has. His profligacy in front of goal began to evade him, as chance-after-chance was being squandered. It took until January for Deila to realise things weren’t working out, and ended up replacing Guidetti with out-of-favor Leigh Griffiths. Ever since then Guidetti never had a chance of retaking his starting spot.
Of course, there were the odd moments of quality – the last-minute equaliser against Inter Milan and the free-kick against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup come to mind – but it just wasn’t enough to replace the on-fire Griffiths. The young Scottish striker ended the season as the club’s top goalscorer, and sent Guidetti back down to Manchester with his tail between his legs.
