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For any club to stump up \u00a39m for your services, you must have done something right. And Cvancara – capped eight times – did plenty right at Sparta.<\/p>\n
At his best in the Czech top flight, the 6ft 3in forward used his presence, pace and power to devastating effect, while he was also clinical.<\/p>\n
Netting 24 times in 39 starts, a goals-per-minute ratio of around 131, triggered interest from Gladbach, who brought Cvancara to the Bundesliga in the summer of 2023.<\/p>\n
The forward’s career stalled in Germany, though, scoring just eight goals in 54 appearances, most of which have come from the bench.<\/p>\n
But his time at Gladbach will be remembered most for being at the centre of an extraordinary team dispute at the end of a challenging season last year.<\/p>\n
It was claimed that Cvancara was a disruptive influence in the dressing room and that his team-mates had demanded he was excluded from the squad.<\/p>\n
The striker responded by admitting he was not happy at the club and revealed he wanted to go out on loan, a statement later labelled “a mistake” by the club’s then sporting director.<\/p>\n
It was not the first time the forward felt the need to publicly defend his character. Two years ago, he said: “People say I am out of my mind and that I lack humility.<\/p>\n
“And yet none of them actually know me personally. None of them have ever asked me what I’ve been through in my life and why I’m the way I am on the pitch and in life.”<\/p>\n
Amid one of the wildest Scottish football seasons in recent memory, with his new club key contributors, the hope for Cvancara is he can reclaim calm and form at a fractured Celtic embroiled in the chaos of the Premiership.<\/p>\n
“He’s not actually a target man,” said O’Neill. “He’s not the John Hartson type.<\/p>\n
“He is quick and he’s agile and wants to prove himself. But if you think he’s the immediate answer to any problem we have, I’m not sure I want to throw that sort of responsibility on him.”<\/p>\n
Cvancara’s first assignment in Scotland is likely to be a visit to leaders Hearts on Sunday, a game absolutely stacked with pressure for the defending champions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n