Joel Mvuka Returns to Bodo/Glimt After Celtic Stint

Joel Mvuka has drawn a firm line under his brief Celtic chapter and gone back to the club that made him, admitting he badly needs minutes on the pitch.

The 23-year-old winger has signed a four-year deal with Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt, sealing a permanent return after his loan spell at Celtic never truly got off the ground.

Celtic move that never caught fire

Mvuka arrived in Glasgow from Lorient with pace, potential and a reputation as a livewire wide man. What he never really got was a run.

He managed just one start for Celtic, in the Scottish Cup against Dundee, and a late cameo off the bench in the Glasgow derby win over Rangers in the same competition. Those flashes were as close as he came to making an impression in green and white. He did not feature once in the Premiership before heading back to Lorient in the summer.

For a player in his early twenties, that kind of stop-start spell can stall a career. Mvuka is honest enough to admit it.

“I haven't played very much, but I feel like I have gained good experience even though I didn't get to play many games,” he told The National. “I can take that experience with me. I have also become older and more experienced and I have returned as a better player.”

Back where it worked

So he has gone back to familiar ground. Bodo/Glimt is where he previously shone, where his speed and direct running first caught wider attention, and where he felt at home.

“It's great to be back. I'm doing well and have improved since I was last here,” he said. “I had a pretty good time in Glimt. I made a lot of friends, had a good time both on and off the field. That's something I took into account when coming back.”

This is not a nostalgic step backwards, though. While Mvuka has been searching for rhythm, Bodo/Glimt have been climbing. Domestically dominant, pushing in Europe, they are a sharper, more ambitious side than the one he left.

“I've been following Bodo/Glimt since I left and I've seen that they've become a much better team,” he added.

Eyes on Europe, and on himself

The target is clear. Regular football, a reset in an environment he trusts, and another crack at Europe with a club that has grown used to testing itself on that stage.

“It would have been cool to get into the league phase of the Champions League two years in a row,” Mvuka said. “It's a good match between me and the club.”

For Bodo/Glimt, it is a bet on a player they know well. For Mvuka, it is more than that. After a season on the fringes at Celtic, this move has to be the one that puts his career back on the front foot.