Celtic striker Albian Ajeti has left the club to join Sturm Graz on loan, with the Austrian side holding an option to buy the player next summer.
Ajeti has been on the sidelines at Parkhead over the last year, having failed to become a part of manager Ange Postecoglou’s first team plans.
He’ll now look to revive his career during his season-long loan and return to regular action with hopes of regaining his international place as Switzerland compete at the Qatar World Cup.
The forward, who made his name with FC Basel in his homeland, joined Celtic from West Ham in 2020 and initially looked to be a successful addition to Neil Lennon’s team.
However, Ajeti failed to hold down a regular starting slot and opportunities became even more restricted after Postecoglou’s arrival. The 25-year-old leaves having scored nine goals in 48 games.
Ajeti told Sturm Graz’s website: “The talks with SK Sturm Graz, Andreas Schicker and coach Christian Ilzer immediately convinced me and immediately gave me the feeling that I was in the right place at the right time.
“Sturm Graz is a big club with a great tradition and I’m very happy to be able to play in Graz in the future. I want to contribute my qualities and experience as quickly as possible and help the team both in the championship and in the upcoming group stage of the Europa League.”
Sturm Graz sporting director Schicker said Ajeti was keen to make the move after “a difficult year” at Celtic.
“I’ve been following Albian’s career for years and am completely convinced of his quality – now the possibility of a commitment has arisen,” he said. “His CV and experience speak for themselves.
“Albian is extremely quick to act, good at headers, has a nose for goals and generally brings qualities that will do our game good.
“After a difficult year in Glasgow for him personally, he gave me a very clear signal that he wanted to get back to full swing at SK Sturm.”
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