English Premier League winner Danny Simpson has exclusively told CeltsAreHere.com how his proposed move to Celtic collapsed.
The full-back was a free agent after leaving Leicester City in the summer of 2019, and a switch to Glasgow was on the cards.
Mikael Lustig had just left the Hoops, and more strength in defence was needed.
Simpson was on the verge of putting pen to paper.
“[I came] very close [to signing], I was gutted actually,” he exclusively told CeltsAreHere.com.
“I wanted to go there and win trophies but it didn’t happen. I spoke to the manager at the time, Neil Lennon, he wanted it to happen.
“Unfortunately, that’s one of the things I would have liked to have got over the line.”
Simpson eventually joined Huddersfield later that summer. He spent just a year with the club and then had brief spells at Bristol City and Macclesfield before retiring two months ago.
The 37-year-old’s twilight years could have panned out very differently if he joined Celtic, but he blames the club’s hierarchy for his move collapsing.
CeltsAreHere.com asked the Champions League winner why the deal broke down.
“The board,” he explained.
“Neil rang me and said ‘It’s not going to happen’.
“It’s one of them things. It’s a long time ago now, it was 2019.
“It’s a shame because I know the club, amazing things, but it wasn’t meant to be unfortunately.”
That summer, Celtic went on to sign Hatem Abd Elhamed, Moritz Bauer, and Jeremie Frimpong at right-back after a move for Simpson failed to materialize.
Football works in swings and roundabouts, and things could have been contrastingly different if the Englishman put pen to paper.
For the Bhoys, Simpson is yet another player who falls into the ‘what could’ve been’ category.
It remains to be seen whether he would have been a success at Parkhead, but with his experience at the top level, he would have undoubtedly brought a certain level of quality to the squad.
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