Pundit reveals why Celtic move fell through in the summer

It is safe to say that not many things have gone Celtic’s way this season and that includes their transfer business in the summer. The club ended up signing Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas and David Turnbull for around a combined £12 million, while also bringing in Shane Duffy and Diego Laxalt on loan. On top of that, Mohamed Elyounoussi’s loan spell was also extended for another season.

For that kind of investment, the club would have been expected to go a step further and run away with the Premiership for a historic 10th straight time. Unfortunately, reality has been very different.

Out of those six, only Turnbull can be considered to be a hit while Elyounoussi has had a decent campaign. And clearly, the recruitment team got it wrong when it comes to a number of signings.

One man who was extensively linked with a Parkhead move in the summer but did not end up doing so is Steven Fletcher. Ultimately the Scottish international ended up joining Stoke City, where he has had a decent spell, scoring 8 times and providing 3 assists in 30 appearances.

Could Fletcher have done a job at Celtic?

While Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (as cited by Vital Football’s Celtic blog), Alex Rae and Mark Wilson have shed some light on why the move ended up falling through.

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Wilson said:

"“I remember when it was rumoured he was close to coming to Celtic.  Was that in the summer? And people were saying he has bought a house in Glasgow and wants to come up.”"

To which Rae replied that it was due to the length of the contract being offered by the Hoops:

"“He wanted a longer contract.”"

According to reports, Fletcher was being offered a one year deal with the option to extend for another year, which to be honest is not a bad deal for a player who is 33 years of age. But it is clear that he wanted something more long-term and ended up choosing Stoke City instead.

At that point of time, not many fans were keen on a move for Fletcher. But in hindsight, after seeing how Ajeti’s move has turned out, one has to question whether the Scot was the better option after all.