Former Celtic striker has been blocked from a surprise return to the SPFL. The Turkish attacker looked set to sign for Dougie Imrie’s Greenock Morton, meaning a potential return to Celtic Park was on the cards; however, League Officials have blocked the move.
According to The Sun, Morton applied to the Governing Body Endorsement, which was then referred to the Exceptions Panel in accordance with regulations, only to then be rejected in their bid to get Çiftçi a work permit.
Çiftçi was signed in the summer of 2015 from Dundee United by Ronny Deila’s Celtic; however, he struggled to make an impact, scoring just 4 goals in 22 appearances. The Turkish striker would have been hoping that the arrival of Brendan Rodgers might bring out the best in him. Although, across the season, he made four appearances with just one coming in the league.
Çiftçi made two surprising appearances came at the start of February 2017, shortly before his loan move to Poland. The striker’s only league appearance that season came in the 5-2 win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. Çiftçi replaced Roberts with five minutes remaining; however, he played his part – albeit a tiny part in the league success that year.
They would prove to be his final competitive minutes for Celtic with a series of loan moves with Plymouth, Motherwell and Polish side Pogoń Szczecin before a move to Turkey’s second division with Gençlerbirliği S.K.
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