Four-year deal but Bangura wants to move on after a year

MOHAMED Bangura intends to make a big impression on Celtic supporters but he also hopes it is a fleeting one after revealing his ambition to move on to a higher profile league as soon as possible.

The Sierra Leone international striker is poised to make his debut for the club, following his £2.2 million capture from AIK Stockholm at the end of last month, in today’s SPL fixture at home to Motherwell.

Bangura has signed a four-year contract with Celtic but the 22-year-old views Scottish football as a staging post en route to La Liga, the English Premier League or Serie A.

“That’s what I’m working towards and this is a step forward for me,” said Bangura. “If I can do my best here with Celtic, then I’ll see what the future holds. If possible, I could make the next step in one year. If everything goes well and the club is willing, why not?

“Coming to Celtic is a good move for me but I want to reach the top. I am fighting to reach the highest level. To come to Celtic gives me a good feeling because it’s another step in my career. I have to work to do my very best to go to the top. I’m talking about the Spanish league, the English league or maybe the Italian league.”

Bangura’s obvious self-confidence and belief in where his ability can ultimately take him will please his new club manager Neil Lennon, although he may be advised to concentrate on achieving success at Celtic before eyeing up a move elsewhere.

Fresh from scoring Sierra Leone’s winner against Egypt in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier last Saturday, Bangura is hopeful Lennon will plunge him straight into the Celtic line-up today.

“I feel fit and I’m ready to play,” added Bangura. “If I get the chance it’s up to me to take it, but it’s up to the manager. I have trained with my new team-mates and I feel comfortable. Everything is working well. I am looking forward to playing in our fantastic stadium. I can’t wait to see what it’s like when it’s full of supporters with 60,000 people inside.”

Lennon confirmed that Bangura is in contention to face Stuart McCall’s men and believes he will provide freshness and variety to Celtic in the attacking third of the pitch this season.

“There’s a possibility Mo could play against Motherwell, he’s trained the last couple of days and has fitted in quite well,” said Lennon. “We’re pleased with his acquisition and I think he’ll improve us. He seems an infectious type of personality as well. He will go in behind defenders, his work-rate is very good, his goal scoring is very good and he can come in from wide positions as well.

“He is different from Gary Hooper and Anthony Stokes in that he will stretch teams a bit more than they probably would. We had to add to the striking department and Mo is a player we had been tracking for the past six months.”

Having come from Swedish football, on the back of a glowing recommendation from Celtic icon Henrik Larsson, Bangura has inevitably been saddled with onerous comparisons to the man who became one of the club’s greatest players of all time. Lennon is understandably keen to dampen down those kind of expectations while still excited himself by Bangura’s potential. “People are already asking me if he is the next Henrik Larsson and the kid has only been here for a day or two,” said Lennon. “Listen, if he gets anywhere near that sort of level, we will be delighted.

“He is a strong boy for his build, so he is reminiscent of Henrik in that way. His build can be deceiving because he is quite strong as well. Henrik gave him a glowing report, while Johan Mjallby knows the Swedish scene and [football development manager] John Park watched him a few times. He is the type of player who will suit us.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say he is a clone of Henrik, though. He’s a totally different type. He’s not the finished article but you can see the qualities he will bring to the team.

“His pace will be an asset, especially away from home in Europe, and his work rate is tremendous with and without the ball.”

Moroccan left-back Badr El Kaddouri, signed on loan from Dynamo Kiev until January, is also likely to make his debut for Celtic today with Lennon confident he will fill the gap left by Emilio Izaguirre’s injury absence. “We are very fortunate to get Badr,” said Lennon. “He is a very experienced player who fits the way we like our full-backs to play. He’s tenacious in the tackle and will add quality to our side.”

Lennon is without right-back Cha Du Ri, who suffered a hamstring injury while on World Cup qualifying duty with South Korea, but Dutch centre-half Glenn Loovens could return after being sidelined since the opening day of the season with a similar problem.