Former Celtic loan star Marcelo Saracchi doesn't appear to hold any bad blood towards the club after they decided not to sign him permanently this summer. The Bhoys could have signed the left-back for around ÂŁ1.5million, with Boca Juniors having been happy to sell, but they did not push for a deal.
That's despite Celtic having an obvious need for a left-back, now with only Kieran Tierney on the books as an out-and-out left-back after Adam Montgomery was sent back to Livingston on loan for the season.
Saracchi played an important role last season, providing plenty of relief for Tierney, who is not able to regularly play two games per week amid a troubled injury past, but he was not seen as a viable option this summer for whatever reason.
Saracchi's agent provided regular updates on Celtic's interest - or lack thereof - this summer, and at times, there was a bitter tone to his comments, although it is, of course, difficult to properly gauge the intended tone.
But having signed for Houston Dynamo, Saracchi has reflected on his time at Celtic, and while he believes he might have missed out on a World Cup spot due to having to rotate with Tierney, he has nothing but positive words about his time at Paradise.
Saracchi on his memorable Celtic spell
“My last experience at Celtic was truly incredible, especially winning the league so late in the season," the Uruguayan left-back told The Herald.
“And my challenge in the MLS is to try and repeat that success. I wasn’t enjoying my time at Boca Juniors and luckily, the loan to Celtic came about, where I was able to showcase my skills and play.
“Part of the reason I went to Celtic was to perform well and go to the World Cup. But what happened at Celtic was they rotated the team with me and the other left back at the club.
“When Marcelo Bielsa contacted me to say I wasn’t going to be part of his squad, he told me that part of the reason for that was because I didn’t have the most minutes on the pitch, so I completely understood what he told me.
“But Celtic was an incredible experience. I would obviously love to return to playing for Uruguay one day. I’ll always fight and work to return to the national team.”
On the plus side, Saracchi avoided being part of a disastrous World Cup for Uruguay that saw the players effectively revolt against head coach Bielsa, who quickly resigned from his role after the tournament. The players are said to have been unhappy with the veteran's approach, leading to a toxic atmosphere in the World Cup camp and awful perfrormances on the pitch.
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