Christopher Jullien is set to leave Celtic this week as the defender awaits the results of his medical before his Schalke loan deal, which involves an option to buy, is complete.
The defender has endured a frustrating couple of years, missing large parts of the 2020/21 and 2021/2022 season with a lengthy knee injury. Upon returning to fitness, he failed to feature in any domestic matches other than a cup contest against lowly Raith Rovers. This infuriated the Frenchman, who publicly expressed his dissatisfaction before the last game of the campaign and urged Ange Postecoglou to give him a chance to show what he can do. When that chance wasn’t forthcoming, it was always likely that Jullien would seek a move elsewhere, especially as he cut a disconsolate figure on trophy day.
His airing dirty laundry in public, and miserable demeanour when the league trophy was handed to the Hoops, disappointed fans. This was especially felt because the club had paid him a healthy wage throughout his long rehabilitation, while the centre back pairing of Carter-Vickers and Starfelt had been an integral part of an incredibly successful team.
Nevertheless, Jullien did have a very good debut season at the club. He seemed to lavish the opportunity to play in front of the Celtic support and scored crucial winning goals in the League Cup final against Rangers, and in a Europa League group stage game against Lazio.
At the other end of the pitch, where defenders are primarily meant to thrive, he could be remembered for an outstanding goal line clearance in Rome, during a historic night when Celtic completed the double over the Italians.
Celtic will now look to replace the defender and bolster their central defensive options.
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