Vladimir Romanov, the former owner of Heart of Midlothian, claims he offered Craig Gordon a blank cheque to reject a transfer to Celtic and remain at Tynecastle…
Although Gordon eventually signed with Celtic in 2014, Romanov’s strategy initially succeeded, keeping the Scotland goalkeeper at Hearts until his record-breaking transfer to Sunderland in 2009.
Celtic made offers for numerous Hearts players claims Romanov
Romanov recollects that Steven Pressley, Paul Hartley, and Gordon all received offers from Celtic, as did manager George Burley and forwards Rudi Skacel and Roman Bednar.
Pressley and Hartley eventually crossed the M8 to join the Hoops, but Craig Gordon and several others remained at Hearts, influenced by the owner’s genuine approach: “Your contract is running out, and I know Celtic has made you an offer, but you’ll end up being their second-choice goalkeeper, not the first,” Romanov told the current Scotland no.1 via the BBC’s Czar of Hearts podcast.
“Here’s a blank contract. Write down the amount you want”
“If you stay and sign with us, I promise you’ll play in the English league. He laughed, not taking me seriously. So, I said, ‘If you don’t believe me, here’s a blank contract. Write down the amount you want.’ Gordon wrote down a very large sum – something unheard of at Hearts and all of Scottish football. I looked at it, signed it, and handed it back. That’s how we managed to keep him.”
🗣️ ‘Under my leadership, even a housewife could have achieved results’
🗣️ ‘Let me reveal a secret…’In a special bonus episode of Romanov: Czar of Hearts, Martin Geissler speaks to Vladimir Romanov himself.
Listen now on BBC Sounds 🎧#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/ggSFscTDN5
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) March 22, 2025
The 42-year-old departed Gorgie for the Stadium of Light in 2009, eventually joining Celtic in 2014 after a spell away from the game.
Craig Gordon did spend six trophy laden years at Celtic
He had six trophy-laden years in Glasgow’s east end, mostly as the first-choice keeper, playing under the management of Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers, and briefly Neil Lennon.
“Gordon had incredible abilities, but he required a very careful approach,” outlined Romanov. “Psychologically, he was weak – if things didn’t go well, he’d get physically sick, sometimes even vomit. He needed delicate handling. Despite all that, he was an exceptionally talented player. Ultimately, I sold him for £9m – at the time, it was the highest fee ever paid for a goalkeeper in Britain.”
Conor Spence
