Youssouf Mulumbu has revealed he rejected the chance to join Celtic’s arch rivals theRangers, before eventually signing on the dotted line for the Hoops. Mulumbu came in as a somewhat strange signing at the tail-end of the ‘Summer of Discontent’ in 2018.
Brendan Rodgers had failed in his attempts to procure the signing of John McGinn from Hibernian, after a squabbling over pennies by then Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell. McGinn signed for Aston Villa and the rest they say, is history. With the midfield in need of an extra body and steel, Rodgers turned to the free agent Mulumbu to help carry the burden on Scott Brown in central midfield.
Having resurrected his flailing career at Kilmarnock with Steve Clarke, the DR Congo internationalist had admirers offering opportunities. One such potential employer was the new Ibrox franchise. Speaking on their approach, via The High Press podcast, Mulumbu said: “I went to Kilmarnock to enjoy football, and it was crazy because I had played five games and Bordeaux in France called my agent and said ‘We want Youssouf’.”
“Steve Clarke was devastated. He said ‘You are doing a very good job for me’ but I said I was going to France to be around my family. “The transfer didn’t happen, I think on the Friday the transfer failed and on the Saturday we played against Celtic, and we won 1-0 and I scored.”
“From there all the teams in Scotland offered me a contract; Aberdeen, (the)Rangers and Celtic. “One week before I signed for Celtic I had a call (from West Brom) saying I think we need a centre mid. This was crazy, 30 years old, knowing the club, having experience. “It was just like going to PSG, big club, big fan base and big competition.”
“I was going through a bad time from when I left Norwich, so I think when I went to Celtic people saw me as a good player.
“When I left West Brom, people said ‘he was finished’, when I went to Kilmarnock, people said ‘he was finished’, but going to Celtic people thought he was a good player.”
Unfortunately, Youssouf and Celtic never got to see the best of him during his short stint in the 2018/19 season. Used sparingly, Mulumbu never really managed to put his stamp on Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic team. He did, however have the good sense to realise who the biggest Club in Scotland was when he made his decision to choose to go to Celtic Park.
Had Peter Lawwell got John McGinn when he was available for just over £2m from Hibs and was desperate to sign for Celtic then Youssouf Mulumbu might have ended up at Ibrox and Brendan Rodgers probably would have stayed at Celtic longer than he did, maybe even for the Ten.
Paul Gillespie
