Tomas Cvancara: Sparta star to Gladbach outcast – who is Celtic’s new striker?
For any club to stump up £9m for your services, you must have done something right. And Cvancara – capped eight times – did plenty right at Sparta.
At his best in the Czech top flight, the 6ft 3in forward used his presence, pace and power to devastating effect, while he was also clinical.
Netting 24 times in 39 starts, a goals-per-minute ratio of around 131, triggered interest from Gladbach, who brought Cvancara to the Bundesliga in the summer of 2023.
The forward’s career stalled in Germany, though, scoring just eight goals in 54 appearances, most of which have come from the bench.
But his time at Gladbach will be remembered most for being at the centre of an extraordinary team dispute at the end of a challenging season last year.
It was claimed that Cvancara was a disruptive influence in the dressing room and that his team-mates had demanded he was excluded from the squad.
The striker responded by admitting he was not happy at the club and revealed he wanted to go out on loan, a statement later labelled “a mistake” by the club’s then sporting director.
It was not the first time the forward felt the need to publicly defend his character. Two years ago, he said: “People say I am out of my mind and that I lack humility.
“And yet none of them actually know me personally. None of them have ever asked me what I’ve been through in my life and why I’m the way I am on the pitch and in life.”
Amid one of the wildest Scottish football seasons in recent memory, with his new club key contributors, the hope for Cvancara is he can reclaim calm and form at a fractured Celtic embroiled in the chaos of the Premiership.
“He’s not actually a target man,” said O’Neill. “He’s not the John Hartson type.
“He is quick and he’s agile and wants to prove himself. But if you think he’s the immediate answer to any problem we have, I’m not sure I want to throw that sort of responsibility on him.”
Cvancara’s first assignment in Scotland is likely to be a visit to leaders Hearts on Sunday, a game absolutely stacked with pressure for the defending champions.