The striker who was stuck with free agency over Celtic move after 2012 Portsmouth administration

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A footballer’s career is short, so picking the right club in a transfer window is vital.

Celtic have had many sliding door moments in the market with John McGinn’s signing saga a perfect example of where the club let a good one slip through their fingers.

Olivier Giroud is another while former Arsenal youngster and Fulham star Alex Iwobi could have joined Celtic before he opted to play down south as a teen.

A fresh name who can be added to the list of near-misses is former Portsmouth, Leicester City and Werder Bremen striker Marko Futacs who had the chance to move to Parkhead in 2012.

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Marko Futacs had the chance to join Celtic in 2012

The Hungarian has revealed in an interview with The News that Neil Lennon wanted him to move to Parkhead and there was even an offer on the table roughly a week before Pompey were plunged into administration.

“I had offers from Celtic and Rangers, but in the last minutes of the transfer window Pompey’s chief executive didn’t pick up the phone,” Futacs said.

“It was a strange thing. In the final minutes, my agent called and said, ‘They both want you, but we don’t know what’s going to happen. The club cannot be reached’. So I stayed.”

Futacs explained how he would eventually go on to become a free agent due to the fact that Portsmouth asked him to take a staggering 80 percent wage cut to stay at the club.

He was loving his career there but could not accept such a dramatic drop in salary.

Futacs was happy to stay at Portsmouth and snub Celtic despite administration

And despite Celtic’s interest at the time, he would eventually leave on a free before being picked up by Leicester City.

“I wasn’t thinking about going at all. I was playing at Pompey, I loved the supporters, I loved the stadium, I loved the community, so for me it wasn’t a big deal about not going to Celtic or Rangers. I was happy to stay,” he added.

“Then the financial problems started. They missed some salaries, there was a points deduction, we were relegated. The situation was bad.

“I was told they were taking up my one-year option, but that came to nothing because now they couldn’t afford to. Then I was offered that contract, which was on 80 per cent less.”

Futacs was certainly lucky he didn’t leave administration at Portsmouth to join Rangers at that time, anyway.