Celtic’s reported £3.25m move for Motherwell’s David Turnbull has collapsed after it looked like a deal would be confirmed last Friday.
That’s what Celtic manager Neil Lennon was hoping after it looked like Celtic had beaten Premier League Norwich to his signature.
However, a problem with his knee was reported by the Scottish Sun after a medical on Friday and that prompted a fresh round of talks.
Turnbull himself was confident the move would still go through but his hopes were dashed today after Motherwell released an official statement.
It said that the problem highlighted with the medical needs “immediate preventative surgery and subsequent rehabilitation”.
Celtic still wanted to sign him but an agreement couldn’t be reached and Motherwell says he “will now remain at Fir Park and will shortly have an operation which will rule him out of any football for an extended period, the exact length to be determined following surgery.”
David Turnbull is to remain a Motherwell player, with a proposed move to Celtic FC no longer taking place.https://t.co/5CEsLA0pxc pic.twitter.com/2qwkPL5V9Y
— Motherwell FC (@MotherwellFC) June 27, 2019
VERDICT
What a nightmare for Turnbull. He was on the brink of a dream move to Celtic, presumably on a much bigger salary, and he’d chosen to play for the Scottish champions over Premier League Norwich. That’s why you have thorough medicals though. Now, Turnbull’s dream move is off and he’s going to be sidelined with an injury for an unknown period. It’s not just a personal setback for Turnbull though. Celtic’s Neil Lennon was boasting of Turnbull’s capture as a coup and Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber had said he had no doubt the player would be a Premier League star in the future. And Motherwell lose out on transformative money – a club-record fee that would have enabled them to strengthen the squad and infrastructure at Fir Park. Turnbull is under contract until 2021 and if he can rehabilitate successfully then a reduced-price move could be back on the cards in January or next summer. In his favour he’s only 19 and has plenty of time in front of him. In the meantime, we wish him all the best after a huge blow to his career.