Maik Nawrocki has joined Celtic on a five-year deal; the defender is a Polish youth international; Brendan Rodgers has already signed Hyun-Jun Yang, Hyeok-Kyu Kwon, Odin Thiago Holm and Marco Tilio
Wednesday 26 July 2023 12:08, UK
Celtic have announced the signing of defender Maik Nawrocki from Legia Warsaw on a five-year deal for £4.3m.
The 22-year-old was a key player for Legia last season, making 31 appearances and helping them win the Polish Cup.
He was included in Poland's provisional squad for last year's World Cup in Qatar but didn't make the 26-man cut.
Nawrocki's arrival comes days after the Scottish champions announced the signings of South Korean duo Hyun-Jun Yang and Hyeok-Kyu Kwon, also on five-year deals.
Brendan Rodgers has also signed forward Mario Tilio from Melbourne City and Odin Thiago Holm from Valerenga, while Celtic have made fellow midfielder Tomoki Iwata a permanent signing after his loan from Yokohama F. Marinos.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said: "It's another very good signing for us and we're delighted to have brought Maik to the club.
"He's a very highly-rated young player and someone who we believe will be a great addition to the squad.
"He's also a player I am very much aware of, having seen him play for Legia Warsaw in the Europa League and I know he was very keen to move to Celtic, so we're looking forward to working with him."
Nawrocki said: "It's great for me to have joined Celtic and I'm looking forward to meeting up with my new team-mates and start training with them.
"Celtic are a famous club throughout the world and, of course, they're very well-known in Poland, having had a number of Polish players in recent years, so I know just how big this club is and how incredible the supporters are, and I can't wait to play in front of the fans and experience that for myself."
Champions Celtic begin their title defence at home to Ross County in the opening game of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season on Saturday August 5, live on Sky Sports.
Brendan Rodgers has been handed fixtures against Ross County, Aberdeen and St Johnstone in his first month back at Celtic Park as he attempts to emulate Ange Postecoglou's treble-winning exploits of last season.
The Hoops travel to Ibrox on September 3 for the first Old Firm match of the season, with Rangers travelling to Parkhead on December 30 - both games will be live on Sky Sports - before a third meeting between the Glasgow rivals on April 6.
Celtic's domestic campaign pauses after their January 2 away fixture against St Mirren for the winter break, with the league resuming with a home fixture against Ross County on January 27.
The club's first post-split assignment will take place on April 27, with the Scottish Premiership regular season concluding on the weekend of May 18-19.
As well as hoping to continue their domestic dominance, Celtic are targeting an improved performance in the Champions League group stages - after picking up just two points last time out.
Two tricky trips to Edinburgh to face Hearts (October 21) and Hibernian (October 28) bookmark matchday three in Europe's elite competition, while a trip to Dingwall against Ross County (November 4) and home tie against Aberdeen (November 11) are either side of matchday four.
The transfer window opened on June 14, but who will be on the move this summer ahead of the deadline at 11pm on September 1 in England and at midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
Follow every Celtic game in the Scottish Premiership this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free.
Want the Celtic latest? Bookmark our Celtic news page, check out Celtic's fixtures and Celtic's latest results, watch Celtic's goals and video, keep track of the Scottish Premiership table and see which Celtic games are coming up live on Sky Sports.
Get all this and more - including notifications sent straight to your phone - by downloading the Sky Sports Scores app and setting Celtic as your favourite team.
