Welcome to Celtic Jeffrey Schlupp

I think he said he was really wanting to come here. The Joe Hart effect?

 

The Celts are back in Scottish Cup action this weekend, with Raith Rovers travelling to Celtic Park tomorrow for a 5.30pm kick-off.

And the Hoops go in to that match on the back of a resounding 6-0 victory over Dundee on Wednesday night, which saw the champions deliver one of the performances of the season so far.

As well as being a memorable night for the green and white, Wednesday Premiership match also saw Jeffrey Schlupp making his first appearance for the club since joining on loan from Crystal Palace at the end of the transfer window.

Speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow’s match, Schlupp reflected on how special it was to make his Celtic debut a few days ago, as he looks ahead to helping the Hoops to even more success in the months to come.

“I was buzzing the whole time,” he said, “especially with us being 5-0 up by the time I came on.

“I was itching to get on to the pitch as soon as possible!

‘It was a great performance, and I just wanted to get on that pitch in front of the fans and experience it for the first time.’

“I was in awe of the stadium. Everyone knows how special the atmosphere is at Celtic Park, and I was looking forward to the experience.

“Being down south, the games are on TV and everyone takes a great interest in the Celtic games.

“I’ve always watched them winning trophies and cups and that’s definitely something that I want to be a part of.”

 

Suits the colours well. As was mentioned by crow in the match thread the black boots looked great too.

 

Proper auld school player with black boots


Almost a throwback to the old football tradition

 

A like the cut of this guys Jib something about him way he talks and way he physically looks imposing might be a screwed signing btw

 

Bringing in Jeffrey Schlupp adds competition in that area in January. I don't think we've had the chance to ask you about him. He was saying that there was interest in the summer initially from the club and that maybe could have happened. Are you quite pleased you managed to eventually get that deal done?

Yeah, very pleased because it just happened the cover and the positions are important for us. We didn't expect to lose Alex Valle. So then we need cover. So to bring in someone of his experience, he only spent the last decade or so in the Premier League.

I know through people I know well at Leicester City that he's a young player who came through there and came through the system and won the Premier League. So I had a real depth of his character and his mentality and everything else. That fitted into here perfectly.

So yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing him come here and showcase his talents when he has the opportunity. It will be good for him to experience being here because you're in the Premier League, you think the Premier League is the only league in the world with so many big clubs but they come here and they recognise the size of this club, the institution that it is, the pressures that are here that will be different to wherever he's played before in his career.

I'm pretty sure he'll enjoy the city of Glasgow as well. So yeah, and I know that he is, he's really looking forward to it.

 

How have your first two days been?

It's been amazing actually. It's been quite busy and everyone has been very welcoming. It has been good.

It was a late deadline day move. When did you find out about it? Can you tell us what happened?

I found out about two o'clock on deadline day and it came about that there was a chance to come here on loan until the end of the season and I was up for it. I spoke to the gaffer again about an hour after that and they said the deal was on if I fancied it.

It was an easy decision for me and I headed straight to London to do the medical and the next morning I headed straight up to Glasgow. It was a busy couple of days.


What has the manager said to you about his expectations between now and the end of the season?

It is an exciting time as they are in a great position in the league. With the cup situation as well we are looking to win that. He just filled me in on a bit of the history of the club. He spoke of how he expects and wants me to play, where he wants me to play and how much fun he thinks I will have.

It was an easy sell to me. As soon as I found out that I was linked to the club, I was really excited and it was an easy decision in the end


You came on against Dundee. How did you find that?

I was buzzing the whole time, especially with us going 5-0 up at the time when I came on. I was itching to get on as soon as possible. It was a great performance and I just wanted to get on the pitch in front of the home fans and really experience it for the first time. It was great.

You had been linked with the club before. Did you have a previous opportunity to join Celtic that never quite materialised?

Yes. In the summer there was some talk about it as well. I think the club did their bit in the background but nothing ended up happening. I am happy to be here now.

As soon as it got mentioned in January again it was an easy sell. I wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. We managed to do that pretty smoothly and I came straight here



Did you have that in the back of your mind that it could still be a possibility this season?

I was hoping so as I knew there might be opportunities to go out on loan in January. I was speaking to my agent and stuff and making sure that I kept in touch with the club.

He did and we managed to find a greater resolution to get here and I am buzzing again. As soon as it was mentioned on deadline day I was just hoping that it wasn't too late


Did you speak to Kasper Schmeichel about his experiences playing up here last season and did he give a glowing review?

Yes, he did. I spoke to a few of the lads who have been here before. I spoke to Kasper and he just said how much he loves it here and how much I would love it here if I came to the club. With the coach and the winning mentality here, it would be just great to be a part of something like that.

I spoke to Odsonne Edouard plenty of times about Celtic. He came down to Palace from Celtic and he loved his time at the club and he told me how much I would love it and that it was a great city. It was an easy sell for me.


Guys like Kasper and Odsonne were fans' favourites here. Is that the aim to be as successful as you can and have as much fun as you can while you are here?

Definitely. Being down south these games are always on the telly. I've always taken a big interest in Celtic games and I have always watched them win trophies and that is something I want to be a part of.



Is there a possibility to extend and is that something you would be open to?

Nothing has been mentioned about that and as far as I am concerned I am here for six months until the summer. I am just focusing on playing some games, having fun, winning games and winning some trophies while I am here



There is the possibility of a glamour Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. That must have been an incentive as if you needed any more?

It is something that everyone is talking about. I've had about 200 ticket requests already. It is a massive game for the club and what an opportunity to play against one of the biggest clubs in the world and hopefully, do something special and get something out of the games.

I can't wait to see and hear the atmosphere at the games as everybody is talking about how crazy it is going to be. I am looking forward to it.



Was the 6-0 game against Dundee what you were hoping for and what you expected?

Yes. Definitely. It was an expected win for the fans and I have been told that every game is a must-win for Celtic. I was just in awe of the stadium and the atmosphere.

I was just looking forward to the experience, and I was looking around at all the stuff happening before the game, which was pretty cool. It was just fun for me.



You won the league with Leicester, how did the Champions League experience go for you the following season? Were you keen to get back?

Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to playing in the competition again.

It's been about 10 years since we last played in it, and it was a good campaign as we got to the quarter-finals before losing to Atletico Madrid. It's going to be a great experience and I'm happy to be playing in it again.

 

I thought he was excellent, showed a lot of strength and he still has a bit of pace left.

Was interesting to see him playing full inverted during the game, where-as he stayed out-wide against Dundee, can easily see him as a midfield option too.

 

Looked really tidy on the ball and had a solid 71 minutes. I also liked his positional play and it was interesting to see him switch in that inverted role. Glad to have experience and all round versatility

 

Never noticed how small he is. Strong though.

 

Part of me was buzzing because it kind of looked like we had Wanyama back.

 

Looks like Brendan is directly addressing the need for more power and height in the team.

Schlupp and Murray are both beasts of players

 

Really liking what I'm seeing with this guy. Sorry to be negative, but why wasn't this loan done at the start of the window instead of on the last day?

 

Things I remember from watching Schlupp in the past (outside of the obvious like his pace) is that he's very one-footed but also deceptively good in the air.

I thought he was fine today and spent most of the match getting used to the inverted role. He's not really played much LB since his Leicester days and especially in an inverted position, so it's good he's had a good run out in a comfortable match to adjust.

Smart signing until the summer and possibly beyond.

 

We were probably trying to get KT done and Valle was up in the air for a bit too.

 

Were you pleased with Jeffrey Schlupp today?

Yeah. Again, it's a complex system to play. Sometimes you ask him to be inside the full-back, sometimes on the outside.

So for him, he's only in the building, but you can see already, he's starting to figure out what we're asking him to do.

His second half was much better, so he was more advanced, and he opens up the lines and then he can move.

You see his physique, you see his quality, and once he feels the rhythm of the team even more, you will get more out of him