David Ginola, what if, Celtic, what if…
There has been some big names linked with the club in the past 30 years or so, but how close any of them have come to actually signing is another matter, but one big name who was extremely close to signing and would certainly have been a game changer was none other than David Ginola.
Yes the elegant Frenchman was that close to signing he even had the pen in hand ready to make it official only for him to change his mind at the very last second. That’s not just whispers, that’s according to the man himself who’s explained before in clear detail how close he was to playing in our famous green and white hoops.
According to David he once held talks with Tommy Burns and Fergus McCann, he even had a tour of the city as both tried to persuade the Frenchman his future lay in Glasgow. David however sadly declined and explained that although the money on offer was the same as on offer at Newcastle he decided to sign for the Magpies as the lure of the EPL was too strong.
It didn’t do him any harm as he was a major success down south with both Newcastle and Spurs. He was top drawer and one of the best ever players to grace the EPL. We can only imagine what could have been if he had signed for Celtic. He would have been a game changer for us, he would have been a revelation in Scotland. Sadly it wasn’t meant to be, but it was ever so close.
“It wasn’t a question of money. The money was probably the same. We were talking about playing in the Scottish Premier League or playing in the Premier League. It was as simple as that,” David Ginola told talkSport back in 2016.
“I had the pen in my hands, ready to sign. I just said ‘I need to think about it’. I just run away. I was there with Fergus McCann, Tommy Burns was there, they showed me the city. I did not know much about Glasgow.
“We played with Newcastle at Celtic, we play a friendly in pre-season and it was an amazing atmosphere. Fantastic.”
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
I remember at the time him saying that he couldn’t play in the weather we get in Glasgow, so he opted for ……………….tropical Newcastle.