The rise of Jeremie Frimpong is great to see.
When Frimpong joined Celtic in 2019 as a teenager from Manchester City, he had yet to taste senior football before going on to impress in the famous green and white colours.
That included winning the Treble at Celtic, before that road led him to Germany and Bayer Leverkusen, where he won a historic first Bundesliga title for a team always dubbed as ‘Neverkusen.’
And now Frimpong is a Liverpool player as he embarks on a career in the bright lights of the English Premier League, and Celtic hero Martin O’Neill has high hopes for the right-back.
Jeremie Frimpong scores for Liverpool against Crystal Palace at Wembley.
Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Martin O’Neill on what he really thought of new Liverpool star Jeremie Frimpong at Celtic
Neil Lennon was in charge of Celtic when Frimpong landed on the Glasgow club’s doorstep, and O’Neill wasn’t too sure of the player.
Whilst the legendary coach acknowledged that the 24-year-old was ‘quick’, he felt that the player was also ‘a bit weak’, as he told talkSPORT.
But now, O’Neill is changing his mind, and despite Liverpool losing to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield over the weekend, he thinks Frimpong has ‘definitely built himself up’ from a strength perspective.
“Do you know, when he was at Celtic, I said this to Neil Lennon,” said O’Neill. “I thought he was quick, but I thought he was a bit weak.
“But, I tell you what, when he was at Leverkusen, he was really strong. He has definitely built himself up. He can go past players on that side of the field.
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“So, yeah, I think he will have a lot of assists this season, in my view.”
Frimpong’s record at Celtic
The noise around Celtic’s 2025 summer transfer window is rather interesting because Frimpong is the sort of signing disgruntled fans would question.
But the rising Dutch star is proof that the Hoops are very good at plucking out some of the best talents across Europe, and helping them elevate their careers to serious heights.
The journey for Frimpong started at Celtic Park; the only downside was the fact that his stay didn’t last any longer.
Games: 51
Goals: 3
Assists: 8
Clean Sheets: 21
Trophies: 3