It seems like a long time ago now but there was a time for at least four transfer windows when Johnny Russell was linked with a move to Celtic.
The midfielder was tearing it up for Dundee Utd and with his Celtic roots it seemed to be inevitable that Russell would get to pull on the famous Hoops at some point.
However, as we know, it never materialised and the player went to Derby.
The 27-year-old has recently moved to America to play for Kansas City and has opened up about just how close he came to becoming a Celtic player.
“Derby made the bid and made it really clear they wanted me to join. They made me feel extremely wanted, to be part of the club.
“Celtic were informed and they wouldn’t match the offer, so it was one of those that was close but it never came down to me making a decision on where I was going.”
Russell was a well known Celtic fan and at the time many fans expected the club to match Derby’s bid in order to procure his services.
The manager at the time, Neil Lennon seemed keen on the young Scot.
Russell admits, had he got a choice in the matter then he would have most likely become a Celtic player
“Obviously, if the bid was matched, it would have been an extremely difficult decision for me. I always wanted to go somewhere else but if your boyhood heroes come in for you, there are not many people who would turn it down.”
