Celtic have had their fair share of transfer near misses over the years.
Kelechi Iheanacho was the latest miss at Parkhead with the former Leicester City striker joining Middlesbrough on loan from Sevilla.
But there have been higher profile incidents including Olivier Giroud’s 2009 link with Celtic, Rivaldo and Dwight Yorke among others who had the chance to join but moved elsewhere.
These deals often come down the line in a player’s career with money, at times, being a difference maker.
You only have to look at John McGinn’s sliding Celtic doors moment while at Hibs when he fancied a move to Glasgow, only for Aston Villa to swoop at the eleventh hour to change his entire career trajectory.
And now there is another name to add to that list in the form of ex-Arsenal, Everton and current Fulham star Alex Iwobi.
Alex Iwobi rejected the chance to join Celtic
The Nigerian international, 28, could have made a move from the Emirates as a fresh-faced teen up north to play for Celtic.
But back then his Dad changed his mind and urged the then-16-year-old to prove his doubters wrong down south which is exactly what he did.
“At 16, I got told I had the option to leave Arsenal or go to another club or sign a scholar. So I was like, ‘What do I do here?”, Iwobi told the Fulham Fix podcast.
“I mean, yeah, everyone has different paths, but I’ve always had a great support system. My Dad and my Mum, my sister have always been around to say…
“When I was younger, there’s many times I’ve been told, ‘You’re not good enough, you’re not good enough’.
“And that was just another moment. I was the only one playing for England at the time that didn’t get offered a professional contract where there was like six of them. So I only just had a scholar and they said, ‘If you want to go, you can go.
“So I was meant to go Celtic. I went to see Crystal Palace. I know there was one more team I can’t remember, but I remember going to Crystal Palace and the training ground at 16.
“My Dad said, ‘No, you’ve been in this position before where they said, you’re not good enough, go prove them wrong again’.
“So I was like, ‘Okay, cool, I’m going to sign my scholar.'”
Other players who had the opportunity to sign for Celtic
Iwobi took the gamble as a youngster and it paid off for him in spades.
The attacking midfielder has earned mega-money deals in the Premier League while also proven himself on the international stage.
He joins a long list of stars who have missed out on a move to Scotland’s biggest club. The likes of Ivan Toney also could have joined Celtic.
Troy Deeney also had the chance to play for the Hoops, while Didier Drogba infamously was told he would not be able to oust Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton or John Hartson back in the early 2000s.
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