Review of the season: 8/10 for mainstay at heart of Celtic defence

Carl Starfelt has been one of the best signings made by Ange Postecoglou in his first season as Celtic manager.

The Hoops boss spent some big money by Celtic standards to sign the Swedish international centre-back – reportedly £4m from Rubin Kazan – but the money was well-spent, as the defender helped the Hoops to a Premiership title and Premier Sports Cup win.

It has to be said that Starfelt didn’t have the best of starts to his Hoops career as the Bhoys looked for a defensive partner, but that all changed when Cameron Carter-Vickers joined the club, and the duo were the foundations for Celtic’s title win.

Starfelt was particularly good this season in a biggest game of 2021/22, the victory at Ibrox which all but secured the title for the Bhoys. He and Carter-Vickers were solid as they faced all sorts of pressure, they stood tall to prevent Rangers from getting back into the game.

Interestingly, of the three games Celtic lost in the Premiership in season 2021/22, Starfelt missed the defeat at Livingston, there is a case to be made that the Hoops might not have lost that fixture if the centre-back had been available for the Bhoys.

Celtic conceded just 22 league goals in season 2021/22, and Starfelt deserves a lot of credit for helping the Hoops achieve the best defensive record in Scotland.

Probably the only disappointment for the 26-year-old is that he is yet to score a goal for the Bhoys in his 49 appearances so far, but as his main job is keeping goals out at the other end, he doesn’t deserve to be criticised for that.

The number of appearances made by Starfelt showed that he rarely missed games due to injury or suspension, and that is always a good thing for a defender, as the replacement that comes into the side is