Celtic Tried to Hijack Rangers Transfer: Player Had to Say No

According to a report by media outlet The Scottish Sun, former Rangers player David Templeton, on the STV Radio Football Podcast, said that Celtic had tried to hijack his move to Rangers back in 2012 and tried to bring him to Parkhead instead.

As per the article, the offer to Templeton was made by then- Celtic manager Neil Lennon himself. It is noteworthy that the player rejected the offer even after being an avid Hoops fan growing up. 

A reason behind Templeton’s refusal to sign for Celtic was that the club had asked him to wait for a season before they signed him. However, the club he was then playing for, Heart of Midlothian, required him to depart that very moment as they needed the money. Hearts had also, supposedly, told the winger that if he did not leave Tynecastle Park, he may never play for them again.

Templeton said on the podcast, “It came about on the last day of the August window.

I was at Murray Park until about two in the morning trying to get it all sorted.”

The winger then went on to say that he was surprised that Neil Lennon had called him, and that he found the situation ”bizarre”. He said, “What made it even weirder is that when I was sat outside, my agent got a phone call from Neil Lennon about potentially wanting to go there.

The whole thing was bizarre.”

Templeton then confirmed that Celtic indeed asked him to wait out his contract before they signed him. He also said that Hearts had told him that if he did not leave immediately, he may never play again for them, as the club was in a dire financial crisis back then. The now 37-year-old said, “They phoned and said they wanted me to wait out my contract then go to Celtic in the summer.

I said, “But what if I break my leg tomorrow? You wouldn’t sign me.

So we had this discussion, and it ended up that I went to Rangers.

I was also told by Hearts that if I didn’t sign for Rangers, I wouldn’t play for them again as they really needed the money.”

Templeton accepted on the podcast that the offer from Celtic indeed made him rethink his decision, given that Celtic played in the UEFA Champions League at the time, and Rangers had just been relegated. However, the player also accepted that moving to Rangers was the best decision for him after visiting the club's facilities and talking with the manager. He said, “Obviously, with Rangers, I went in and saw the facilities, the club and spoke to the manager and I knew how much I was wanted.

It was a no-brainer.”

David Templeton, in his four years at Ibrox, played 67 league games for the Gers, scoring 21 goals in the process. With the club, Templeton achieved back-to-back promotions by winning the Scottish Third Division in 2012-13 and the Scottish League One in 2013-14.