Czech talisman 

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Celtic are set to make their second major signing of the January transfer window, according to reports in Germany. Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg states that the Scottish Premiership giants are in advanced negotiations to sign Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Tomas Cvancara on a loan deal for the remainder of the season, with an option to buy. So who is the 25-year-old striker and should Celtic fans get excited about their new talisman up front?

Rumour
	T. Cvancara
	Centre-Forward
Mönchengladbach   95 % Celtic Bundesliga Scottish Premiership

What type of player is Tomas Cvancara?

Standing tall at 6ft2m Cvancara certainly has the profile of a towering target man. However, assuming that the Czech striker will play with his back to goal and head home goals for fun in the Scottish top-flight would be an easy misconception to fall for. Over the course of his entire career, just 10 of Cvancara’s 77 goals in 63 games have been headers. And typically speaking, the Gladbach talent doesn’t tend to enjoy playing with his back to goal.

This has often led to Cvancara being misused in the wrong forward roles. Prior to moving to Gladbach for €10.5 million in 2023, the centre forward thrived for Sparta Prague as a support striker and even as a wide forward on the right wing. This is largely due to his impressive acceleration and clear comfort with the ball to his feet and space to run at goal, as opposed to being limited to a target man in the box.

What went wrong for Tomas Cvancara at Gladbach?

Prior to moving to Germany, Cvancara went on a number of loans to clubs inside and out of the Czech Republic, but really found his feet when he moved to Sparta Prague. Over the course of 49 games for the Chance Liga giants, Cvancara bagged 24 goals and seven assists, playing predominantly up front and on the right wing. However, since then the striker has struggled to replicate that form in German football.

The young striker’s biggest problems at Gladbach were lofty expectations. Not only did he join the club for a sizable sum of money – he remains the club’s ninth most expensive signing of all time – but he was also tasked with replacing the talented fan favourite Marcus Thuram up front. However, after a bright start with four goals and assists in his first four Bundesliga games, muscle injuries pulled Cvancara out of the starting XI. Then, a torn ankle ligament ruled him out until March the following year.

By the time Cvancara returned from injury, Gerardo Seoane’s side had built their attack around new players, only for Germany national team talisman Tim Kleindienst to join the club in the following summer transfer window. At that point, Cvancara was largely seen as a back-up option and a player that was never going to live up to his high transfer fee or expensive wages.

This, inevitably, led to the player growing more and more frustrated with his situation at Borussia Park. In early 2025, German newspaper Sport-Bild reported that an “internal team revolt” had broken out in Seoane’s squad surrounding the Czech striker. According to the German publication, “a small group of leading players” approached the Gladbach head coach with a request to drop Cvancara from the club’s matchday squad due to his disillusionment, negativity and appeals to leave the club.

Gladbach never commented on the reports, but Cvancara took to Instagram to tell his side of the story. “I was the one who went to management in the winter because, after my injury, I felt I wasn’t meeting expectations and my performances weren’t what either side wanted,” said the player in a post. “I wasn’t allowed to go, instead promises were made to me that weren’t kept. Although I wasn’t convinced by my role, I always gave 100 percent.” Ahead of the new season, Cvancara was sent on loan to Turkish club Antalyaspor, where he managed just two goals and one assist in 13 games.

Can Tomas Cvancara be a success at Celtic?

Despite the player’s clear struggles at Gladbach, Celtic may offer a much-needed new chapter in Cvancara’s career. Without the baggage of a large transfer fee hanging over his head, the Czech striker could potentially get back to simply trying to perform on the pitch in Glasgow. And considering the similar strengths of the Czech and Scottish top-flights, there’s every chance that Cvancara could replicate his Sparta Prague form for Martin O’Neill’s side in the second half of the season.

However, that will depend entirely on whether Cvancara can put his problems on and off the pitch to one side at Celtic and whether his new manager can play him in the right position. Despite his size, the Czech striker will almost certainly need to play off another centre forward or be allowed to run at defences. If the Glasgow club are hoping that Cvancara can be a handy target man to sit in the opposing box, then they may run into the same problems that Gladbach had with the striker.