Moving from AaB in his native Denmark to Stabæk in Norway on loan in the January of 2023 presented Kasper Høgh with an excellent opportunity to put a difficult spell behind him and resurrect his floundering professional career.
Høgh, a promising striker who had been tipped for great things as a youngster, had started to suffer from crippling pre-match anxiety during his time in Aalborg and his mental health issues had got so bad that he had seriously considered walking away from football at one stage.
Yet, his time in Oslo did not get off to a particularly auspicious start. He requested that he be given the squad number 69 and joked with members of the media that he had only come to the country so he could meet pretty girls.
In his opening Eliteserien match against Odds BK, the outspoken forward was subjected to some robust physical challenges by opposition defenders who had clearly taken exception to his flash image and controversial public pronouncements.
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The visitors’ centre-half Sondre Solholm Johansen was scathing about Høgh during a half-time interview he conducted with TV2 and branded his rival a “knullegutt” – a phrase which translates to English as “f***boy”.
Johansen said, “It’s fun. That f***boy from Denmark is pretty funny.”
Even Lars Bohinen, the Norway great who was the then Stabæk coach, admitted after the 0-0 draw that his new acquisition needed to concentrate far more on on-field matters than his off-field exploits if he was to realise his vast potential.
“He has put himself in a position where the focus has been a little wrong for him,” said Bohinen. “There has been a little too much outside of sports. I don't think he will be well served by that over time.”
The transformation which the 6ft 1in 25-year-old has undergone during the past three-and-a-half years has been nothing short of remarkable.
He scored important goals for Bodo/Glimt in their Champions League wins over Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Sporting Lisbon last term and helped the Norwegian minnows to reach the last 16.
His displays against the continent’s elite in that competition led to him being called up by Denmark and he netted an extra-time equaliser for his national team in the World Cup play-off final against the Czech Republic in Prague in March to force the match to penalties.
So how has Høgh, who Celtic today confirmed they had signed for a club record fee, gone from being a figure of fun as well as a target for opposition abuse to one of the most admired predators in Europe and secured an £11m transfer.
Kjetil Knutsen, the Bodo/Glimt manager, urged the attacker to “put away the cowboy hat” after luring him to the Aspmyra Stadium three years ago, and he was pleased the player took on board his advice and focused on football.
“He's an incredibly hungry boy with a lot of energy in him,” he said last season. “He really wants to succeed in what he is doing. He is happy to be in Glimt and fits very well into the culture. He contributes a lot to those around him and has an extreme hunger to get out his potential.”
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But finding God has also been important for Høgh. He started reading the bible with his team mate Albert Grønbæk, the Denmark and Hamburg midfielder, after he moved to Bodo and his new-found faith has helped to turn both his life and his playing career around.
“When Kasper came to Bodø from Stabæk in 2024, he had a bit of a reputation as a wild card,” said Borre Arntzen, a writer with the Avisa Nordland newspaper. “He had been labelled a ‘f*** boy, which didn't go down well at Glimt at all.
“But since arriving in Bodø, he’s completely changed. He's turned into a highly professional football player who has done everything he can to develop. He has really succeeded with that both as a player and as a person.
“During his time here in Bodø, he’s become much more open about being a devout Christian. Now he always thanks God first after scoring by pointing up into the sky and in his post-match interviews. He's often seen at Bodø Cathedral, which is part of the Church of Norway, an Evangelical Lutheran church.
“His professionalism and willingness to work super hard had led to some really great performances, not least in the Champions League campaign. Høgh had some excellent games against absolute top-tier opposition, City, Atletico, Inter.
“These performances in turn earned him his debut for the Danish national team and he made the most of the chances he got there as well.”
Høgh, who should make his Celtic debut in the William Hill Premiership opener against Dundee at Parkhead on Monday night, will have to perform well at home and abroad in the coming weeks and months to win over supporters and justify the substantial outlook which it took to secure his services. But Arntzen is confiden he will.
“At Glimt, he’s played as a striker in the club's classic 4-3-3 system,” he said. “He's been really good at dropping deep to link up play, receiving the ball and distributing it. He’s also been sharp and clinical inside the box.
“If I had to point out a negative, it would be that his performances have been a bit inconsistent. His efforts in the Champions League before Christmas, for example, were not as good as they were after the New Year.
“His main strengths on the pitch are his finishing and, as I mentioned, his ability to act as a target man and hold up the ball. He’s got good pace, too, and has been a part of a lot of great counter-attacks.
“The Bodø/Glimt fans have liked him, as you naturally do with a goalscorer. But nobody is screaming ‘crisis’ now that he’s on his way out. That’s probably mostly because the club already has good replacements lined up.
“Will he be able to handle the pressure at Celtic? Yes, I dare say he will. I know full well how demanding the Celtic fans can be. But he’s developed a strong belief in himself and has proven himself so much at such a high level that I feel confident saying that he will cope with the pressure and perform.”
