When Patryk Klimala signed for Celtic at just 21 years old, there was a general feeling that the club may have unearthed a gem.

However, it didn’t pan out that way for the youngster as circumstances surrounding COVID and the protocols at that time affected how he settled at the club.

Klimala joined Celtic on the 14th of January 2020 from Jagiellonia Białystok for around £3.5m. He made two first-team appearances for the rest of that season and didn’t score his first goal for Celtic in the SPFL until the 2nd of August in a 5-1 win over Hamilton Accies the following season.

Used sparingly by Neil Lennon during the COVID season, Klimala’s Celtic career didn’t get off the ground and after just 15 months, 28 appearances and three goals later, he was allowed to leave the club.

Patryk Klimala’s post-Celtic career

Klimala joined New York Red Bulls where he enjoyed some early form as he impressed his new boss, Gerhard Struber.

After 63 appearances and 14 goals, Klimala was allowed to leave New York for Israel as he linked up with former Celtic defender Hatem Abd Elhamed in January 2023 on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

Klimala then left the Israeli club by mutual consent in October of that year due to the troubles in the region and joined the Polish side, Śląsk Wrocław.

Hailed as a marquee signing and at just 25, Klimala hoped to kick-start his flailing career but due to FIFA regulations, he could not make his debut until the turn of the New Year.

And now, after just 11 appearances and no goals for his new club, Klimala has been dropped from the first-team squad and been told to find a new club after his latest performance against a fourth-tier Polish side seemed to be the last straw for his current manager, Jacek Magiera.

It’s a shame that Klimala’s career has gone this way. Once heralded as an exciting young talent, the former Celtic man now needs to pick his career up again after suffering another major setback.

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