England capped defender admits he should have made Celtic move in 2017

Steven Caulker has admitted that he got it wrong with his decision to reject a move to Celtic. The English-born defender was at QPR in the summer of 2017 when Rodgers looked to bolster his defence and Caulker was one of the names that he fancied.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Caulker was asked if there was an agreement in place to bring the player from Dundee to Celtic in 2018. 

“Never, no. The summer before it, 2017, I had an opportunity to go to Celtic which I turned down because I felt London and QPR were better for my recovery.

“A few months after that I was then out of the squad at QPR and we mutually terminated my contract.

“At that point, of course I thought I should have gone to Celtic.”

Caulker, 29, plays for Gaziantep F.K., on loan from Fenerbahce. Caulker has had quite an interesting career with successful spells at Swansea, Cardiff and Queens Park Rangers adding to brief loans at Southampton and Liverpool along with the move to Dundee.

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Former Dens Park teammate of Caulker’s, Paul McGowan, was sure that Caulker had what it took to have played for Celtic. He told Open Goal that the then 25-year-old rejected the chance to link up with his manager at Swansea and Liverpool. Rodgers moved for Caulker after the Invincible Treble season in 2017 but the defender rejected a deal to sign for Celtic.

“Easy. He said, open book, that Rodgers fell out with him. Dunno how true it is, it’s coming from Steven but Rodgers was raging with him.

Rodgers apparently offered Caulker a three-year deal but due to the high wages that Caulker was on at QPR, he rebuffed the advances of the Irishman.

“What he was getting here (at Celtic) wasn’t making a year of what he was getting at QPR.”

“He told Brendan he wasn’t signing and Brendan was fuming at him.”

Rodgers helped Caulker get back into football when he signed for Dundee back in 2018 and the pair enjoyed a close relationship despite overcoming the disagreement as a result of Caulker rejecting Celtic.

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Born just as Celtic were stopping the Ten, Lubo98 follows Celtic home and away and helps run his local Celtic Supporters Club. He goes to all the games and is a Law Graduate. Has a particular fondness for Tom Rogic among the current Celts and both Lubo and Henrik form his earliest Celtic memories.

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