Moritz Jenz back at Celtic? Stranger things have been known to happen

The story of Moritz Jenz and Celtic is a strange one.

It didn’t take long for the big German defender to establish himself at the club.

He also got himself a cult following.

So much so, that he was given the nickname Mercedes Jenz.

Ange Postecoglou brought him in on loan from Lorient in Ligue 1.

The club brought him in with an option to buy.

From the beginning of his time at the club, it looked like a match made in heaven, and he seemed destined to make Celtic his home.

Jenz spoke very highly of the club during his early days, and he had this to say in an interview:

Celtic is old school, Celtic is mysterious, Celtic is pure football and above all Celtic is a religion. When you stand at a home game, close your eyes and get goosebumps just from the chants, you know why this club fascinates the world

It seemed he got it from day one.

He will always be remembered for his acrobatic overhead kick against Kilmarnock.

That was his second goal in his short stint at the club, after scoring one against Ross County very early on in the season.

So where did it all go wrong for Jenz at Celtic?

Its hard to know why he fell out of favour with Ange Postecoglou after such a decent start to life at Celtic.

Jenz never hid his desire to make his move to the club a permanent one, but it wasn’t to be.

After November of 2022, his appearances for the first team seemed to dry up.

A return to form after injury for Carl Starfelt, and the impending arrival of Yuki Kobayashi from Japan were cited as the main reasons for Jenz’s loan spell not being extended.

If hindsight was a fool’s version of foresight, then letting him go at that time was indeed a foolish move.

Look at where Carl Starfelt and Yuki Kobayashi now find themselves?

Starfelt has gone on to have a relatively quiet time of it at mid to lower table Celta Vigo in La Liga.

As for Yuki Kobayashi, who was supposed to be a replacement for Moritz Jenz?

After only 5 appearances for Celtic, he moved on to Portimonense, who ply their trade in Liga Portugal 2.

Not exactly the dream move Celtic was.

He went from playing in front of 60,000 fans to less than 5,000 at Portimonense.

As for Jenz, clearly his pedigree was good enough to play in the Bundesliga, and he moved to Schalke on loan.

He has since been plying his trade in the Bundesliga, with spells at Wolfsburg after Schalke, and now currently at Mainz.

Which begs the question?

If Jenz is good enough to play in the Bundesliga, then surely he is good enough to play at Celtic?

Since Auston Trusty and Liam Scales haven’t exactly set the heather alight in central defence, wouldn’t somebody like Moritz Jenz be an ideal candidate to partner Cameron Carter-Vickers once again?

The Sun has reported that Celtic fans would love to see him back at the club.

And considering how much Jenz loved his time at the club, I don’t think it would be a bad option for Celtic at all.

Personally, I don’t really feel he put a foot wrong during his time at Celtic.

He was more a victim of circumstance than anything else.

At 26 years of age now, and a decent bit of Bundesliga experience under his belt, Jenz would be a very good option for Brendan Rodgers.

I don’t think he’d cost us a fortune either.

It’s definitely one to consider in this summer’s transfer window.

And there’s no doubting the fans, myself included, would love to see him back.

Could we see it happening?

Stranger things have been known happen…