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Fullname: Moritz Jenz
aka: –
Born: 30 April 1999
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Signed: 19 Jul 2022 (on loan from Lorient for 1 year with option to convert)
Left: 25 January 2023 (back to Lorient, loan ended early; moving on loan to Schalke)
Position: Centre-back, Central Defender
Debut: Ross County 1-3 Celtic, SP, 6 Aug 2022 (and scored!)
Squad No.: 6
Internationals: […]
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]
Biog
“…the assurance he displayed across the opening period that suggested his on-loan spell in Scotland could blossom.”
Andrew Smith, The Scotsman journalist, Aug 2022
Moritz Jenz was a talented player whose time at Celtic could be summarised as being one who was to be the right man arriving just at an unfortunate time for himself.
The young German player arrived at Celtic in July 2022 on a season long loan with an option to convert. The club needed further cover for the centre of defence with Christopher Jullien expected to move on, however Starfelt and Carter Vickers were the first choice picks. He was a long term friend of Celtic player Matt O’Reilly from their Fulham days, with his good friend having well sold Celtic to him as the place to come.
Initial reports from his last season at his parent club meant that expectations should have been tempered. However he had a fine start scoring the key goal from a header in a 3-1 win after Ross County had equalised, although he was at fault partly for the conceded goal. Incredibly he then scored an overhead kick goal in only his second game (5-0 win v Kilmarnock)! It was overall an incredible start, although curiously he never did score again for Celtic!
However, it was always going to be tough repeating that start, but undeniably Jenz was always professional on field giving his all. He may have lacked the skill and ability of CCV, but he didn’t shirk any challenges or make any fuss despite the rotation of players for positions.
He was a tall & strong central defender, and pacy for his height. He complimented his defensive colleagues, being especially useful in the air.
However, it was CCV with Starfelt who remained solidly as the first choice centre-back pairing despite various rotations. The competition was tough at Celtic, with Welsh and then Koboyahsi (arrived 2023) in a similar boat challenging for first-team places.
He was given a number of opportunities, both domestically and with Celtic in the Champions League, and overall there was little to criticise him for his performances. However, after the poor showing by Celtic in the Champions League, it was clear to the management that the bar had to be raised for Celtic to be able to at least attempt to compete in the elite competitions.
Certain critics raised the point that despite Jenz’s physical presence, surprisingly he could be a little passive in Celtic’s own box which tends to indicate that he lacked confidence & experience so needed time. After the debacles in the Champions League, especially the 5-1 defeat to Real Madrid away, it potentially indicated that Jenz at this point was no great step-up than what was already at hand.
One giant bugbear though was the posited transfer conversion fee, which if correct as estimated by those on social media (circa £5m), then in a tighter economic environment as was the case in the UK, it was a hard argument to justify making him permanent. He had been bought by his parent club for €3.5m so they unlikely would be looking for on par at least. With all due respect, it was therefore better for him to kick-on elsewhere. Having come as a loanee, it is always a risky move that a player is often forced to take. Even with a reduced price, it was not wholly convincing that for Celtic the payout would have been of value when other areas of the field were now more of a priority.
He ended up becoming increasingly peripheral at Celtic, and after having made his final appearance in a 2-0 win v Ross County in the league in November 2022, he was thereafter sidelined from the first team by the manager.
Celtic were riding high domestically, and he deserved respect for his part in this success, and was never dismissed by the support, if anything he was a popular player for the supporters on the terraces.
In an unexpected move, he ended up leaving prematurely in January 2023, halfway through his loan spell, to a certain degree of disappointment from sympathisers, but it was also showing a ruthlessness by the manager that was being called for by some. Not all bad, as he moved onto German side Schalke in a loan move with an option to convert to perm.
In the game of musical chairs for the centre-half position alongside Carter-Vickers, the one without the permanent contract would be the one most at risk. He had tried everything he could to sell himself to the manager & fans, and in his short-time, Jenz had proven to be a decent talent, so can hold his head up high for his efforts. He was a little unfortunate with the new higher demands, with possibly some cynics alleging bias to signings from the Far East (which admittedly had been working out to date).
He wasn’t alone with fellow Celtic loanee Abildgaard also cut as well as various others looked to be moved on. It showed a new ruthlessness when it came to transfers in the new regime, something that hadn’t been seen since Rodgers.
He’ll definitely be remembered very fondly for his incredible start at Celtic, and it will be seen as unfortunate for him not having pushed on at Celtic as many were anticipating at the outset.
He left with many great experiences, including playing in a Glasgow Derby, playing v Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, playing in the Champions League and playing in a league title winning team. Much to be proud of. It was a great period of development for Jenz, and possibly without this opportunity at Celtic he’d possibly never have got his move to Schalke. It was just unfortunate that the competition for centre-half players at this time at Celtic was too much for a loanee to take on.
We wished him the best.
Post-Celtic
He ended up finding himself in a strange situation at the end of his first season with Schalke, finding himself crowned a league title champion (Celtic)… but also relegated in the same day (Schalke)!
In October 2023, we were all proud to read an interview with him on how he still Celtic and missed Glasgow:
“I put my Celtic shirt on for the last game, my son also has a Celtic strip. We miss Scotland so much. Every week or two we speak about the time in Scotland & our friends in Glasgow, maybe we’ll return sometime to visit or maybe live there we really enjoyed the city.”
[….]
Quotes
“Everything came up roses for Moritz Jenz, with the centre-back snaring a crucial 84th-minute goal on his Celtic debut. But it was the assurance he displayed across the opening period that suggested his on-loan spell in Scotland could blossom. The 23-year-old German used the ball productively and didn’t blanche at the pace and physicality he later admitted made for a style he was hardly versed in.”
Andrew Smith on his debut performance (The Scotsman, 7 Aug 2022) link
“Obviously everybody dreams of playing for a big club and competing for trophies, and the lure of the fans, the atmosphere in the stadium, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Jenz (July 2022)
“Best moment and proudest moment for me – to score for this famous club.”
Moritz Jenz on his debut & goal (Aug 2022)
“Celtic is old school, Celtic is mysterious, Celtic is pure football & above all Celtic is a religion. When you stand at a home game, close your eyes & get goosebumps just from the chants, you know why this club fascinates the world.”
Moritz Jenz (2022)
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2022-23 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 19 |
| Goals | 2 | 0 | 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 League Cup
Pictures
Forums
Notes
Articles
How Moritz Jenz’ first Celtic press call exposed a footballer cut from a different cloth
The first public media duties conducted by Celtic’s latest arrival Moritz Jenz didn’t follow the usual lines.
By Andrew Smith
Friday, 22nd July 2022, 10:30 pm
It is not typical for such sit-ins to see the subject reference concerns over the climate crisis amid recent temperature extremes, be at ease chatting veganism, the satisfaction of gallery visits and eschewing the materialism and ostentacious expressions so often associated with those at the top of his profession. However, the 23-year-old German centre-back, who has joined the Scottish champions on a season-long deal from French side Lorient, is clearly cut from a different cloth to so many of his contemporaries. The sort of cloth that doesn’t end up in designer togs to adorn himself in.
Jenz’s game style – the 6ft 4in defender considers his best attributes to be aggression and commitment to playing out from the back – has brought comparisons with Christopher Jullien. A centre-back whose Celtic future is uncertain with no apparent route to consistent outings. Their similarities patently extend beyond the pitch, though. Just as Jullien possesses a hinterland and genial openness, these facets radiate from Jenz. Yet, he is at pains not to present himself as some sort of paragon because his sense of what is important in life beyond pushing his career to the limits might deviate from the norm. Instead, he puts his worldview down to seeing different sides to life in moving from his homeland to Fulham academy with his parents aged only 13. A switch that led to Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley becoming his “best friend” and someone he has remained in contact with daily even after he left for Swiss side Lausanne-Sport as the midfielder joined Milton Keynes Dons three summers ago.
“I think my interests come from my parents because from a young age we travelled a lot to different countries,” Jenz said. “We looked at a lot of history. Wherever we went, we would go to the museum together. It’s nice because it is relaxing for your mind after a stressful game or after a stressful week. You go to a museum or you see something new and it’s just calming. I wouldn’t say I care much about the lives you sometimes see with footballers these days. You see guys on a yacht or on a jet, jetskis or whatever. I try to keep my life simple. I’m quite private. If you have the brain and a good wife to keep you grounded then you are in the right place.”
Celtic feels right for Jenz to the point of it almost seeming fated he would end up in Glasgow’s east end. Coming under the tutelage of club icon Peter Grant, who was his under-23 coach in the Fulham academy, can have that effect. “Peter is a great person,” the player said. “He’s very polite, a proper gentleman. On the field he’s a different person. You need that fire and he’s like a lion. I really liked him. He talked a lot about Celtic – because I asked a lot of questions. He told me Andy Thom played here but I also talked about Celtic with his sons [Raymond and Peter] because they are fans too and would always be telling me about the club. So it got in my brain and now I am here. It’s incredible.”
Moritz Jenz opens up on his Celtic dream and explains crowd celebrations – ‘there’s no stopping’
As debuts go, Moritz Jenz’s was not a bad one.
By Mark Atkinson
Saturday, 6th August 2022, 10:30 pm
Handed a start in Celtic’s central defence against Ross County due to Stephen Welsh falling ill earlier in the week, the on-loan Lorient centre-half put in assured performance and scored the second goal in a 3-1 win over the Staggies.
The 23-year-old German met a Jota cross on 84 minutes and bulleted a header into the net to spark raucous celebrations in the away end, the player’s momentum taking him into the crowd where he was greeted by his new adoring faithful.
“It wasn’t a bad debut,” smiled Jenz after the match. “It was amazing to play my first game in front of a fantastic away crowd.
“Then to score was like a dream come true.
“We knew at 1-1 we had to win the game so I wanted to get in there and score the goal. In the end, it happened.
“You always hope to get on the end of the ball and I timed it well. I showed real desire to score the goal.
“It was incredible to celebrate with them [the fans] at the goal.
“I’ve always wanted to score in a British game and run into the crowd. There’s no stopping, you just run in with your emotions.
“It was amazing. It took some time to get out but I did.”
Jenz looked comfortable in his first outing in Scotland’s top flight, although he did pick up a booking for a foul for felling Jordy Hiwula in the second half.
“It was my first experience of Scottish football and I expected them to be very physical,” Jenz responded when asked what he made of his first taste of Scottish football up in the Highlands.
“We knew they’d play first time balls in behind us and try to win second balls.
“That was a very interesting combat but you have to play your own game and be brave.
“It was quicker than I expected, it was quick and direct. It’s a different style for me but some teams play like this.
“We play in a different way, attacking, brave football.”
CQN
MORITZ JENZ has six months to prove he is worth a permanent move to Celtic.
The towering German centre-back signed a season-long loan deal when he arrived from French club Lorient in the summer.
The defender has made 19 appearances since joining the champions and got off to a flyer with a soaring header on his debut in the 3-1 win over Ross County in Dingwall on August 6.
Jenz followed up with an overhead-kick strike in the 5-0 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park a week later.
HEAD BHOY…Moritz Jenz turns away in triumph after scoring on his debut with Ross County keeper Ross Laidlaw left helpless.
However, the 23-year-old back-four operator knows he is in for a fight with Carl Starfelt for first-team appearances with the Swede on his way back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines following injury in the 4-0 derby romp over Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Ibrox outfit at Parkhead on September 3.
The £4.2million purchase from Rubin Kazan in late July last year limped off just before the hour mark to be replaced by Jenz and only made his comeback a couple of games before the World Cup break last month.
Postecoglou has also reinforced the left-hand side of his back four with the signing of Vissel Kobe’s Yuki Kobayashi on a five-year deal and the J-League recruit, 23, will be available for selection when the transfer window opens on January 1 2023.
Jenz, though, admitted he is loving life as a Celt and has every intention of impressing Postecoglou enough to win a lengthy contract.
He said: “It was important to me from the start to establish close contact with the fans because they support this club and make it something special.
HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Moritz Jenz celebrates Celtic’s 3-1 victory over Ross County in Dingwall in August. David Turnbull and Carl Starfelt play their part in the background.
“When you wear the shirt, you are not playing for yourself, you are playing to be a part of Celtic’s history of success.
“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.”
Jenz, speaking to Swiss website transfermarkt.ch, continued: “Scottish football is extremely physical. From my point of view, the strikers are very hard.
“Trash talk and concealed kicks against any part of the body are apparently normal in Scotland. So, I had to learn how to take action!
“We are characterised by a really great unity. When we say we’re a team, we prove that out on the pitch. All of us want to play for Celtic and have a winning mentality.
“When we stand in the tunnel, we promise ourselves to stand up for each other like a wall.
“In my opinion, our results in the Champions League were because of a lack of international experience. You only learn over time and with enough games how to assert yourself against international stars.”
PRIZE GUYS…Moritz Jenz is congratulated by Filipe Jota, Matt O’Riley, Kyogo Furuhashi and Cameron Carter-Vickers after his acrobatic effort in the 5-0 victory over Kilmarnck at Rugby Park.
The 6ft-plus German star added: “Nobody calls me Moritz anymore, they just say Mercedes.
“A few weeks ago, I went jogging with my dog at 6am because I thought no-one would see me.
“Suddenly a large number of construction workers called down from a high-rise building: ‘Hey Mercedes, stop, we want a photo’.
“They actually stopped work so they could take a picture with me. Unbelievable, but somehow also incredibly beautiful. The city is really green and white.”
It will be interesting to see who Postecoglou selects for the left-hand side of his defence – Starfelt or Jenz – when the champions restart their Premiership crusade against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday at 12.30pm.
“I put my Celtic shirt on”; Moritz Jenz explains why he still loves the Hoops
Tue 10 October 2023 06:45
Hamish Carton
Moritz Jenz still has a great love for Celtic almost a year on from his departure from the club.
The German defender, now at VfL Wolfsburg, wasn’t ever a permanent Hoops player. He played for us for a number of months, on loan from French side Lorient.
Yet, Jenz always seemed to take to the club, and many supporters liked him a lot. His Instagram post following his departure wasn’t what you would normally see for someone who only played with us for a short period. But that’s the power of Celtic.
Jenz moved to Schalke on loan for the second half of last season before Wolfsburg picked him up in the summer. He is yet to nail down a starting spot with the side chasing European football, although injuries have contributed to that.
While his current situation is an obvious priority for him, he is also keen to look back on some enjoyable times at a club he still supports.
“I’ll be watching, for sure,” he said of our upcoming UEFA Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid. (Scottish Sun)
https://www.67hailhail.com/news/i-put-my-celtic-shirt-on-moritz-jenz-explains-why-he-still-loves-the-hoops/
“I put my Celtic shirt on for the last game [against Lazio]. My son also has a Celtic strip. We miss Scotland so much. Every week or two we speak about the time in Scotland and our friends in Glasgow.
“Maybe we’ll return sometime to visit or maybe live there, as we really enjoyed the city. The people of Scotland were so warm, open and honest. I loved it, so did my wife.
“Indiana was close to being Scottish. If I’d stayed at Celtic longer he would have been. My wife Stefania is a big Outlander fan, so she was hoping so.
“It would have been cool to have a Scottish son. When I was at Celtic, I went to the fan shop and got the classic strip for every month he was growing until the age of two.”
Kilmarnock FC v Celtic FC – Cinch Scottish Premiership
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Jenz was a solid enough performer in his time in Scotland. However, Ange Postecoglou loved the partnership between Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt. It was always going to be difficult to break that up.
Had he still been on our books this season he would have played a fair few matches. With Starfelt out of the picture, Carter-Vickers injured and a number of unproven recruits, he would have got game time for sure. But nobody could have predicted that.
Jenz is just the latest example of a footballer coming to Glasgow and falling in love with Celtic. It’s a feeling that’s impossible to explain unless you have played for or supported this wonderful club.
It would be great to see him back at Celtic Park one day, even if only to do the half-time draw.