Fraser Forster comments show why he didn’t return to Celtic

Fraser Forster’s comments after Southampton’s win over Liverpool show why he never ended up returning to Celtic in the summer.

A lot was made of Celtic’s failed attempt to bring back Fraser Forster to Parkhead on another season-long loan. Although Southampton seemed open to the idea, it appeared to the player himself who pulled the plug on the move. And his recent comments show why.

Since that decision, Forster has not featured much, as expected. In fact, his appearance against Liverpool was the first of this season. And while he did keep a clean sheet, you would expect that he is not going to get too many more bites at the cherry.

He does seem perfectly content with his situation at Southampton though. At least that is what his comments after the match suggested. Speaking with the Daily Echo, the 32-year-old said:

"“Obviously it’s a club I love a lot. I had some fantastic times here in the past and I’ve always been keen to come back and try and play here.“That’s all I wanted to do in the summer. I wanted to come back and give it a go and everyone’s been fantastic with me since I’ve been back.“But obviously the team has been doing well and Al’s been doing well so it’s just important I can help the team and the club in any way I can.”"

And this just shows why he did not end up joining Celtic in the summer although the chance was there if he wanted it. Forster is happy to sit on the bench or at home for a Premier League side and probably just does not want to move to Scotland one more time.

Expectedly, the board was blamed for the deal collapsing. It was believed that like so many occasions before this, they had dragged their heels, ultimately causing irreparable damage. Some even accused them of disrespecting Forster by not offering him a permanent deal. This time around though, it was all about the player.

Would Celtic have been a better side with Forster in the team? Most probably yes. But at the end of the day, you cannot force someone to play for you.

Whatever may be the reason for him deciding to give up guaranteed first-team football for one of the biggest clubs in the world, it is clear that we cannot afford to remain stuck in the past. Forster has moved on and we need to as well.