Joe Ledley has revealed he was all set to re-sign for Celtic before he got the word the club had accepted a bid for his services.
“There was a contract offer there and I was just weighing up my options,” he explained. “Not long before in January I’d said to some of the boys I was going to re-sign. Then a week later I’m signing at Palace. That’s football” The Welshman said.
“I was sat at home and my agent rang and said a bid had been accepted and it is down to you to talk to them. At first I didn’t know what to think. But if a club has accepted an offer then it is time to go. Your mind is sort of made up. I ended up coming down and speaking with the gaffer.”
I believe Celtic only accepted an offer for the player because they were worried they would lose him for nothing in the summer. If Joe was 100% committed then he would have signed on the dotted line weeks before his transfer came to be. I think the midfielder is trying to turn this around on the club when it was made clear on more than one occasion that Celtic and specifically the manager wanted to keep him.
Joe has left with our best wishes nonetheless – He has already managed to get his first Premiership goal as he and his new teammates fight for survival.
The Welshman looks back at his time at Celtic with great fondness remembering the victory against Barcelona as one of his best moments.
“One of my favourite moments has got to be winning 2-1 against Barcelona in the Champions League at home. It was a fantastic achievement for the team. I got Xavi’s shirt afterwards – which is not bad! He is one of the best passers of the ball. It is the best competition in the world – without a shadow of doubt – and I’m lucky to have had two seasons in it. You face your heroes.
“It was difficult for me to leave Celtic. I’m not going to lie. It is a fantastic club. I had everything there. I’ve got great memories and it will always be in my heart.”
