On This Day in 2000, Martin O’Neill signed Premier League winner Chris Sutton for Celtic. The ex-Norwich and Blackburn Rovers forward arrived from Chelsea in a deal worth £6m, then the club’s record transfer fee.
Sutton made 199 appearances for the club, scoring 86 times. In this time he would be a roaring success winning four titles, three Scottish Cups and one League Cup. He was a fine player with great instincts, even if he wasn’t the quickest at times. His fantastic vision, eye for goal and almost telepathic link-up with Henrik Larsson made him a key figure in that successful era.
Sutton is revered by Celtic fans for his time at the club under Martin O’Neil, where he enjoyed prolific relationships with John Hartson and Larsson. Since swapping the pitch for the studios and gantries around the UK, Sutton is never far from controversy often delivering fairly accurate assessments of clubs, managers and players that are misfiring.
The 49-year-old will be regarded as a Celtic hero for all that he achieved and all he helped achieve. He famously said that he was coming into Celtic in order to put Rangers in their place and he certainly contributed to that.
