Gravesen crosses to Celtic
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Article summary
Celtic FC have pulled off a coup by signing midfielder Thomas Gravesen from Real Madrid CF, with the Danish international accepting a three-year contract.
Article body
Celtic FC have pulled off a coup by luring Denmark midfielder Thomas Gravesen from Real Madrid CF for a fee thought to be in the region of €3m, with the 30-year-old putting pen to paper on an initial three-year deal with the Scottish champions.
Out of favour
"I am delighted to have joined Celtic, one of the biggest clubs in the world. Having spoken to the manager, the chief executive and other people at the club, I am excited about this move," said Gravesen, who joined Madrid from Everton FC in January 2005 in a €3.7m transfer, but had fallen out of favour at the Santiago Bernabéu following the arrival of coach Fabio Capello. Although a number of English clubs were reportedly interested in taking him back to the Premiership, the attraction of UEFA Champions League football has enticed Gravesen to Glasgow where he will face Manchester United FC, SL Benfica and countrymen FC København in Group F.
International class
The playmaker is an established international having won 64 caps for his country, scoring five times. Prior to his 18 months in Madrid, he made 141 appearances for Everton following a move from Hamburger SV in 2000. He started out with his hometown club Vejle BK. Gravesen's arrival at Celtic Park paved the way for Bulgaria captain Stilian Petrov's departure for Aston Villa FC in a €9.6m deal.
