Celtic are closing in on the signing of central midfielder Oliver Sorensen to bolster their midfield ranks before Thursday evening’s transfer deadline.
The Hoops have agreed a deal to sign the 24-year-old talent on a season-long loan from Italian side Parma, and have an option to make the move permanent next summer.
Sorensen was an unused substitute for Parma’s first two matches of the Serie A campaign and is now headed to Paradise in the hope of playing more regularly.
He will bolster Martin O’Neill‘s options in the middle of the park and compete with the likes of Callum McGregor, Mika Baur, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke McCowan, and fellow incoming signing Joel van den Berg for minutes.
Why Oliver Sorensen is a risky signing for Celtic
This move looks like a risky piece of business on paper for Celtic because they are signing a player who struggled to deliver consistent performances in the 2025/26 campaign.
The former FC Midtjylland star only started 19 of his 34 appearances in the division before being benched at the start of this season, and now he is being loaned out and potentially sold by the Italian side.
Sorensen failed to deliver outstanding quality in any phase of play for Parma in the league last term, as he did not offer much to the side as an attacking threat, as a defender, or as a duel winner.
|
25/26 Serie A |
Oliver Sorensen |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
34 |
|
Starts |
19 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Tackles per game |
0.5 |
|
Interceptions per game |
0.5 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
42% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
36% |
There should be some concern over his lack of physicality after he lost the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air in the Serie A, as he may not be able to adjust to the physical side of the Scottish Premiership.
Baur and Oxlade-Chamberlain won 11 of their 16 ground duels in the 2-1 win over Falkirk, helping their side to win the physical side of the game, and Sorensen may not be able to offer the same level of dominance.
How Celtic can make a more impactful signing than Sorensen
Whilst the Danish midfielder looks like a risky addition on paper due to his lack of impact at Parma, the club are looking at a star in another position who could make a bigger impact on the pitch for O’Neill.
According to The Chronicle, Celtic are considering a late move to sign Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Hoops remain interested in a deal for the England international as they look to reinforce their goalkeeping stable ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
It adds that the Magpies are looking to move him after signing Lukas Hornicek to be their new number one, and that they value him at a fee of £5m.
Celtic, therefore, could see a bid of £5m accepted for the experienced shot-stopper if they decide to act upon their interest in him before the deadline passes.
If they do opt to seriously pursue a deal for the former Burnley star, Pope would be a more impactful signing than Sorensen because of the quality that he could provide between the sticks.
|
25/26 Champions League |
Nick Pope |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
8 |
|
Successful run-outs |
6 |
|
Save percentage |
83% |
|
Saves per game |
3.6 |
|
Goals prevented |
+1.27 |
|
Clean sheets |
4 |
|
Assists |
1 |
Despite falling out of favour at St. James’ Park this season, Pope is still capable of delivering high-quality performances at the top level, as evidenced by his Champions League outings last term.
The English stopper, who even provided an assist for Harvey Barnes against Benfica, prevented 1.27 more goals than expected and kept four clean sheets in eight matches in Europe’s premier competition.
Pope is an incredibly experienced top-level performer, with 82 clean sheets in 248 Premier League games, and Newcastle replacing him with a younger player does not mean that he is not capable of performing in the here and now.
He could arrive at Parkhead as a better option than Viljami Sinisalo, who has only kept two clean sheets in 15 Premiership games since the start of last season and conceded five goals to LASK in the Champions League play-off tie.
Pope would join as a proven performer in the Premier League and the Champions League and could step in to hit the ground running as a huge presence between the sticks as a reliable pair of hands for Celtic.
Therefore, he could make a much bigger impact on the pitch than Sorensen, whose form for Parma suggests that he may struggle at Parkhead, by delivering consistent and quality displays in goal.
