Trevor Carson opens up on how his ‘life-changing’ move to Celtic collapsed in 2018

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Celtic have had many near misses over the years when it comes to players who nearly pulled on the famous jersey at some point in their career.

Ultimately, circumstances can sometimes get in the way of prospective moves, especially when advances are made to try and secure someone’s signature late in the window.

Back in January 2018, Celtic saw a series of bids turned down for Trevor Carson, who was then plying his trade for Motherwell as they reached two cup finals under Stephen Robinson, tasting defeat against the Bhoys on both occasions.

Enduring a cruel twist of fate, the 36-year-old remained at Fir Park. Scott Bain was drafted in on loan from Dundee instead, eventually earning himself a permanent move.

Fast forward to 2024, Bain is still on the books at Celtic. Carson is now with Dundee following spells in Scotland and England, and he has shared his side of the story concerning the transfer that never happened.

Trevor Carson on how Celtic move collapsed

Speaking on Open Goal, Carson admitted that he had actually agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract at Celtic that was eventually scuppered by Joe Lewis getting injured at Aberdeen, which sparked a chain of events leading him to stay at Fir Park.

He said: “At one point, everything was agreed, it was done. It would’ve been life-changing; it was a four-and-a-half-year deal. It was a chance to go and win trophies.”

Later, on the collapse of his Celtic chance, he added: “Obviously, it happened (Celtic bid), my agent had said all along they were going to get to the fee, it was just playing a bit of hardball with Motherwell, but we knew they would get there in the end and they finally did.

“Motherwell were signing the boy Freddie Woodman from Newcastle on loan, so Freddie is getting ready to come up, on his way up, and Joe Lewis gets injured at Aberdeen that day in training; this is the day before the window shuts.

“He’s on his way up. Obviously, Aberdeen come in for him, and he picks Aberdeen over Motherwell. Now I’m in the office with Stephen Robinson and Allan Burrows, and Robbo was like, ‘You can’t sell him; I’m resigning if you sell him.

“We got to a cup final, but in the league, we weren’t doing great; we were still hovering eighth or ninth in the league, we certainly weren’t away from relegation. Robbo’s point was, I need Trevor as my number one; we can’t sell him.”

It wasn’t to be for Trevor Carson and Celtic

It wasn’t to be for Carson and Celtic; Bain inherited the backup goalkeeper slot soon after and never looked back, establishing himself as part of the fold.

Realistically, the failed transfer was probably a sliding doors moment in his career due to the Bhoys’ need for another pair of hands at that time.

Nevertheless, Carson has still carved out a handy reputation in the game, featuring eight times for his country and chalking up over 100 Scottish Premiership appearances, among other achievements.