Luke McCowan lays out how last-minute Celtic move came together after being told it wouldn’t happen

Luke McCowan’s move from Dundee to Celtic went through at the death of the summer transfer window in a saga that kept fans up right to the deadline.

 

Having been on the Bhoys’ radar since mid-June, the 26-year-old finally arrived for £1 million after a hectic evening that also saw Arne Engels and Auston Trusty paraded at Celtic Park.

Supporters actually had to wait until after the deadline had passed for McCowan’s announcement, with all the relevant paperwork going through in time to finalise a dramatic deal.

 

Settling in nicely at Celtic, the former Dundee captain opened his account against Heart of Midlothian earlier this month after making his debut against Rangers the week previous.

 

With designs on breaking into the starting line-up under Brendan Rodgers, McCowan has recalled the heartstopping day of destiny that hung his future in the balance before fulfilling a lifelong dream by signing for his boyhood club.

Luke McCowan addresses his dramatic deadline day Celtic move

Speaking live at a Celtic event at Glasgow Argyle Street’s JD Sports store, McCowan revealed that initial interest from the Bhoys stemmed back to the beginning of pre-season.

 

At one point on deadline day, it appeared he could’ve been set to stay at Dens Park before Tony Docherty told him after training that he was set for a life-changing move to the reigning Scottish Premiership champions.

 

He said [Celtic FC YouTube]: “There was interest as we went back for pre-season, but it was only mutual interest; I didn’t know what to say at that time, and I was just hoping that it could actually happen. I said, it’s not something you think about, you just try and do the best you can for the club you’re at.

“Then it was the final day. I got a phone call from Tony Docherty at about half seven in the morning, thinking, ‘What have I done wrong here!’ He said to come in early. I went in early and he told me that Celtic wasn’t there, so I was devastated obviously, I had that idea that right down to the last day, it might happen.

 

“I went and trained, and when I came back through from training, he pulled me straight into his office and held out his hand and shook my hand and went, ‘You’re going to be a Celtic player’, I was a mess, but then he was like ‘I found out before training and I seen you diving into tackles in training, I wanted to pull you out.’ But no he was really good in breaking that news to me, and before you know it, I was speaking to Gordon Strachan and people like that who are involved heavily in the club.

“It didn’t go really smoothly, but my heart was going like mad, and we managed to get it done.”

 

Luke McCowan’s happy ending paved the way for Celtic joy

In the end, McCowan got his move and is now determined to help Celtic claim more silverware by forging his way into the starting line-up.