Celtic make final decision on signing €8m striker

27 May 2026 18:04 BST | 4 min read

Martin O'Neill, Celtic, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Celtic have made a decision on signing Borussia Monchengladbach striker Tomas Cvancara permanently after his six-month loan.

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The Czech Republic international moved to Parkhead in January after a disastrous spell in Turkey. Cvancara had spent half a season on loan at Antalyaspor, but he returned to Gladbach - having scored just twice - due to unpaid wages.

In some ways, it was fitting. His career has gone downhill ever since he decided to join Gladbach for a sizeable €10.5 million in the summer of 2023. Cvancara was signed to be the club's new marquee centre-forward, but he failed to live up to the hype.

Current ETV

Tomas Cvancara

F (C)

Celtic

Tomas Cvancara

F (C)

Celtic

ETV Range

€1.7M - €2.6M

When he joined Celtic, interim boss Martin O'Neill made sure to temper expectations, insisting before the signing was even officially announced that Cvancara would not be the club's next Henrik Larsson. He was correct.

While he did provide some attacking oomph to a Hoops side that desperately needed it, Cvancara's loan spell was ultimately a disappointing one. He only scored twice in the Premiership - against Falkirk and Motherwell - and converted a penalty in a shootout against Rangers.

Celtic make Cvancara decision

A groin injury in April meant that Cvancara played no part in the run-in. He did not make a single post-split appearance in the Premiership, nor was he able to contribute to Celtic's cup success.

Before that, he had also talked his way out of the national team reckoning by insisting that he was willing to sacrifice his World Cup dream to save his club career. The Czech manager didn't take too kindly to this.

Cvancara said that he was solely focused on impressing at Parkhead in a bid to convince the Celtic hierarchy to make his loan permanent. Now, he's left with neither one nor the other.

He certainly won't be part of the World Cup, and Celtic will also not sign him permanently, according to BILD. He will return to Gladbach this summer.

The 25-year-old simply didn't do enough to justify Celtic triggering their €8m purchase option. This is the correct decision as his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) currently stands at just €2.2m.

Cvancara will once again be forced to look for a new club. Gladbach have no interest in reintegrating him into their squad and will have to offload him permanently for a significant loss.

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