MOTHERWELL manager Stephen Robinson has lifted the lid on what was the transfer saga of the early summer.
Celtic and David Turnbull spent the start of this current window embroiled in an on again, off again move for it all to fall apart in bizarre circumstances.
Celtic agreed a fee for the player and then held talks only for the midfielder and his team to seemingly knock it back, this promoted Celtic into a public statement on social media about the situation. Turnbull then looked set to sign for Norwich with the EPL club matching Celtic’s fee for the midfielder only for him to have a last minute change of heart and head back to rekindle the Celtic deal.
With Neil Lennon confirming David was in the building, a picture of the player in a Celtic jersey emerging from the board room and perhaps even an interview talking about becoming a Celtic player in the can – the deal fell through.
A potential career threatening problem was found in Turnbull’s knee and while it hasn’t been the cause of any injuries it was like a ticking time bomb. The club tried to renegotiate a deal with Motherwell to take Turnbull on loan to get him fixed up and would pay the full fee next summer if all went well.
The Steelmen refused that deal because there was no guarantee Celtic would 100% sign him at the end of this season. It all fell apart and Turnbull stayed out and received the surgery which will leave him out the game for anything up to six months.
Robinson reveals the player’s manner after the deal fell through and how it all unfolded was something he had never seen before.
“David’s was something I have never encountered before.” Robinson told Record Sport.
“We thought we’d got an incredible fee for a talented player but the adversity that came after that was very difficult to deal with.
“It was even more so for the boy. It was more for David to cope with.
“He doesn’t give very much away, he’s a cool customer. I spoke to his mum last week and she doesn’t get much out of him either.
“We can only imagine how David felt when he found out it wasn’t happening, especially for a boy who’s never had an injury before.
“Handling that, mentally, must have been really tough.
“We decided that we would get David right again and we have been reassured that he will be.
“The hard bit for him is to psychologically get back to where he was.
“But David’s got an inner confidence in himself, he’s got a real belief in his own ability. I think he’ll come back a better player, because he’ll be able to get stronger.”
