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Fullname: Tomáš Čvančara
aka: Tomas Cvancara, “Chav-inn-chaara”
Born: 13 August 2000
Birthplace: Neratovice, Czech Republic
Signed: 22 January 2026 (6mth loan with option to buy)
Left: 31 May 2026
Position: Forward, Inside-Forward
Debut: Heart of Midlothian 2-2 Celtic, SP, 25 Jan 2026
Squad No.: 11
Internationals: Czech Republic/Czechia
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]
Biog
Cvancara arrived at Celtic, where it was impossible to disguise the fact that this was a “career repair” job. In his developmental years, he had been highly impressive at Sparta Prague, but a succession of bad luck—or perhaps poor judgement—had followed in the years since. Celtic, of course, have a history of rebuilding careers, as even great players like Kuhn can attest. If he could hit the ground running and rediscover his form, he might thrive here.
He had been forced to cancel a previous loan spell with Antalyaspor due to disputes over unpaid wages, and—if one were to be cynical—his desire to join Celtic may well have been driven by a need to escape the club.
However, it wasn’t just Cvancara who was in need of a fresh start. Celtic were attempting to turn a corner after the disastrous spell under Wilfried Nancy and were now back under the interim management of Martin O’Neill. Even under his return, the team’s form remained inconsistent, and they were desperate for a striker, with Johnny Kenny in particular failing to deliver. O’Neill was quick to temper expectations about Cvancara, stressing that he was not a traditional target man and that placing too much pressure on him as a solution to all their problems would be unwise.
Cvancara made a promising debut, providing an assist in a 2-2 draw against Hearts (January 2026) and was unlucky not to score when his header struck the crossbar. He seemed pleased to settle in so quickly, commenting:
“It was a difficult game for me, but I think I can help with better performances. Of course, I was happy with the assist for Yang, but I would say I can offer a little bit more.”
He then scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Falkirk (February 2026), and many began to believe Celtic had finally found the striker they needed to ease the pressure on a management team that had struggled to replace Kyogo, who had been sold over a year earlier.
Yet, despite the encouraging start, O’Neill’s caution proved prophetic. After a key match that once again seemed to signal the end of Celtic’s league challenge, the manager reiterated his concerns:
“What I don’t want to do is put an awful lot of pressure on him, thinking he is the answer to all our problems.”
Unfortunately, that was as good as it got. From that point onward, Cvancara played but offered little of note. It was clear he was struggling for confidence, but with few alternatives, Celtic had no choice but to persevere with him. To their credit, the management gave him plenty of opportunities, yet he simply couldn’t produce consistently.
He managed only one more goal—a penalty to give Celtic the lead in a 3-1 win over Motherwell (Mar 2026). When he was dropped to the bench or left out of the squad, most Celtic fans reacted with indifference.
Perhaps the match that best encapsulated his time at Celtic was the gut-wrenching 2-1 league defeat to Hibernian (Feb 2026). Despite taking the lead, Celtic squandered their advantage. Cvancara had an underwhelming game, despite his evident effort. He should have been awarded an early penalty, later headed just wide, and then missed a sitter inside the box. Lacking both pace and confidence, it was no surprise when he was substituted.
To compound his difficulties, his agent publicly criticised Czechia’s international manager, Miroslav Koubek, after Koubek questioned the player’s desire to represent his country—an unnecessary distraction.
Celtic, by hook or by crook, managed to claw their way back into the title race as the season reached its climax. However, Cvancara’s involvement was cut short when it was announced that his spell at the club would end prematurely due to surgery for a torn adductor.
With five games remaining in a tight and difficult run-in, and three teams locked in a close race, one might have expected his absence to be a significant blow. Yet, most had already written him off, particularly as Maeda had rediscovered his form and Iheanacho was also chipping in with goals.
There was no ill-feeling towards Cvancara. It was clear, however, that he had been asked to play a role that didn’t suit him. Having had so little game time in the years leading up to his arrival at Celtic, he was understandably out of sorts. For a club under immense pressure, it was far from an ideal environment in which to reboot his career. This was a season plagued by long-term injuries for Celtic, and Cvancara was simply the latest addition to an unwelcome queue. He returned to Celtic for the league title decider v Hearts on crutches, which was a sore sight to see, but he joined in deservedly with the celebrations in which he could take from having played his part in what was an incredible achievement against all the odds.
Despite his lack of success on a personal level, there was no shortage of goodwill towards him as he departed. Few, however, were convinced that his future lay in the top tier. His finest form had come three years earlier at Sparta Prague, and perhaps the expectations set by that one outstanding season had always been too much to live up to.
Post-Celtic
[….]
Quotes
“It’s a massive honour to sign for this club,” Cvancara told the Celtic website. “I am so excited to get started and make my own contribution to the team. We have lots of challenges ahead of us and I am ready to get going and do everything I can to meet these and bring success to our brilliant supporters. Celtic is one of the great names in world football and I am delighted to be here to play my part.”
Cvancara (Jan 2026)
“[Tomas Cvancara] is ready to go. Whether he lasts the whole game or not is another matter. I hope he brings some quality to our side. I don’t expect him to be the Henrik Larsson of our team, but he’s got some really good qualities.”
Martin O’Neill (Jan 2026)
“I want to prove myself & prove why I came. Maybe, if I’m going to be good enough, show the board and everyone that they have to sign me for the future. This is my goal. I will just try to do my best”.
Cvancara (Feb 2026)
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2025-26 | 9 | 2 | – | 2 | 13 |
| Goals | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 2 |
Honours with Celtic
(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)
Scottish League
Scottish Cup
Pictures
Forums
Notes
- Name is pronounced “Chav-inn-chaara“.
Articles
Sparta star to Gladbach outcast – who is Cvancara as Celtic confirm deal?
Tomas CvancaraImage source, Getty Images
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c4gr4yj09dpo
Martin O’Neill described Cvancara as “quick and agile”, saying the striker is eager to prove himself
ByNick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland
Published
21 January 2026
Updated 8 hours ago
A young Tomas Cvancara was tipped for big things when he made a £9m switch to the Bundesliga – 24 goals in 49 games for Sparta Prague said as much.
After 30 months, eight goals and one apparent dressing-room revolt against him, it can be assumed that the 25-year-old’s big move to Borussia Monchengladbach has not gone as planned.
A failed loan in Turkey at Antalyaspor – terminated due to a reported dispute about wages – has opened the door to a fresh challenge at Celtic, with the club confirming the loan switch on Thursday.
“We are delighted to welcome Tomas to the club,” said manager Martin O’Neill. “We believe he has some real qualities and we think he will be an import addition to the squad going forward.”
Celtic are in desperate need of a striker – so what can they expect from the Czech Republic international?
‘He’s quick, agile and wants to prove himself’
For any club to stump up £9m for your services, you must have done something right. And Cvancara – capped eight times – did plenty right at Sparta.
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.
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.
The forward’s career stalled in Germany, though, scoring just eight goals in 54 appearances, most of which have come from the bench.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
“He’s not actually a target man,” said Celtic manager Martin O’Neill on Wednesday. “He’s not the John Hartson type.
“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.”
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.
Tomáš Čvančara joins Celtic on loan
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/january/22/tomas-cvancara-joins-celtic-on-loan/
By Celtic Football Club
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22 Jan 2026, 12:05 pm
Celtic are delighted to announce the signing of Tomáš Čvančara on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach for the remainder of this season subject to international clearance.
There is also an option to buy the 25-year-old Czech Republic striker at the end of the season from the German Bundesliga side.
The new Bhoy said: “It’s a massive honour to sign for this club.
‘I am so excited to get started and make my own contribution to the team.’
“We have lots of challenges ahead of us and I am ready to get going and do everything I can to meet these and bring success to our brilliant supporters.
“Celtic is one of the great names in world football and I am delighted to be here to play my part.”
Celtic manager, Martin O’Neill added: “We are delighted to welcome Tomáš to the club, we believe he has some real qualities and we think he will be an import addition to the squad going forward.”
New Bhoy ready for challenge right away
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/january/22/new-bhoy-ready-for-challenge-right-away/
By Joe Sullivan
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22 Jan 2026, 2:59 pm
Once the signing formalities had been completed, new Bhoy Tomas Cvancar quickly got into the swing of things as a Celt by donning the Hoops and giving his first interview to the club.
Arriving on loan from Bundesliga side, Borussia Monchengladbach, the 25-year-old Czech Republic internationalist is settling into his new surroundings and can’t wait to pull on the Hoops in a game situation.
Speaking to Celtic TV in an exclusive interview, he said: “I am very excited. I’m very happy that I can join this massive club with this massive fanbase of supporters, and I can’t wait to play in front of them.
“I can play No.9 or No.10 or sometimes on the right side and I think I’m pretty fast. I think I’m good on the ball and also I have no problem with the aggressive game.”
The striker has sampled the Celtic Park atmosphere before when playing for Czech side, FK Jablonec in a Europa League tie in August, 2021.
Then on the eve of turning 21, the new Bhoy came on with 20 minutes to go in the game, and pretty soon he will be linking up with the likes of Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Anthony Ralston and Stephen Welsh who faced him on the night in what was a 3-0 win for the Hoops.
He recalled: “It was one day before my birthday, I remember that Joe Hart was in goal and I nearly scored a goal.
‘So that stays in my mind, along with the amazing fans who started singing before the game, so that’s what I remember the most.’
“I can’t wait to play. Obviously, it’s a little bit different than in Germany and it will be so much louder, I think. So I can’t wait to play and hopefully celebrate together.”
Not only has the frontman arrived in the mid-season January transfer window, there is also the matter of a game against Hearts at Tynecastle this weekend, and Tomas Cvancar is up for the challenge of a quick start and the fight for the title.
He said: “Of course it’s pressure, but for me it’s no problem. When I joined, I knew what the target for the club is, and I know what the target for me is, and I will do everything for us to achieve it together. I’m ready.”
Tomas Cvancara’s Celtic career is over as star says emotional farewell after injury ends season
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/football/tomas-cvancaras-celtic-career-is-over-as-star-says-emotional-farewell-after-injury-ends-season/ar-AA22IUF4
Story by Robbie Copeland • 2d • 2 min read
© SNS Group
Tomas Cvancara has paid an emotional farewell to Celtic after revealing his season is over due to injury.
The striker joined on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach in January on loan with a buy option and had his moments with important goals against Falkirk and Motherwell.
But he suffered a groin injury just before the split and Martin O’Neill admitted that if he needed surgery, he’d be done for the season.
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And he’s now revealed that he will undergo surgery – which has ended his season early.
It means that unless Celtic take up the buy option in his loan deal – unlikely given the limited impact he made in Glasgow – the 25-year-old has played his final game for the club.
In an emotional Instagram post he wrote: “This season is over for me. Next week I’ll undergo surgery after tearing my adductor.
“Honestly, this is not how I imagined my season at Celtic coming to an end, and not the way I wanted it to finish. But despite everything, I’m truly grateful that I had the chance to be part of this club, this team and these moments.
“I know there weren’t as many individual moments as I wanted, but whenever I stepped on the pitch, I always tried to help the team and give everything for the badge.
“And to all the fans.. THANK YOU. For every message, every bit of support and the energy you gave me. It truly meant a lot.
“Now I’ll support the boys from the outside, and I truly believe this team will finish the season the right way and bring home the DOUBLE!”