Stephen Halliday on what is going wrong at Celtic
● Midfielder in £3m move to champions
David Turnbull has declared himself fit and ready to make his Celtic de but against his former club Mother well on Sunday after finally completing his £3 million transfer to the Scottish champions.
The 21-year- old midfielder has signed a four-year con - tract with Celtic, 14 months after his initial move from the Fir Park club collapsed when his medical revealed a serious knee problem which required surgery.
Turnbull, Scotland’s Young Player of the Year in the 201819 campaign, was sidelined for eight months following the operation but successfully returned to action with Motherwell shortly before football was suspended by the coronavirus pandemic in March.
He has been a regular starter for the Lanarkshire side since the start of this season, displaying the form and conditioning which persuaded Celtic to resuscitate a deal which sees him become their third signing of the current transfer window after the captures of Greek goal keeper Vasilis Barkas from AEK Athens for £4.5m and Swiss striker Albian Ajeti from West Ham United for £5m.
In one of the ironies football so regularly throws up, Turn bull’ s first appearance for Celtic may come against the club whose youth academy he joined at the age of 10 and where he has developed into one of Scottish football’s brightest emerging talents.
“As soon as I’m required, I’m ready,” said Turnbull ahead of his new club’s Premiership fixture against Motherwell at Celtic Park this weekend.
“I’ve played in the first five games of the season [for Motherwell], I’ve managed to get a goal, I feel really fit and I’m
just raring to go and make my mark here at Celtic.”
Turnbull admits it was difficult to cope with the dismay he felt last summer when, having already posed for some pre - publicity photos in a Celtic jersey, the details of his knee issue emerged.
“Looking back, the in jury was the worst time of my life really,” he told the Celtic
website. “It was so hard to take but I knew that if I worked hard and kept my head down, the chance would come around again, so long as I stuck to it. Now, I can’t wait to get started.
“I’ m absolutely delighted to join Celtic, especially after everything that’s gone on over the last year. To join the biggest club in Scotland, I’m just delighted.”
Turn bull is relishing the challenge of joining aside currently enjoying unprece - dented domestic dominance in Scottish football.
“The success of Celtic in recent seasons has been incredible ,” he added. “They’ve been so consistent as well, which is the root of their success. It’d be brilliant to win silverware this season at Celtic. I obviously grew up playing with Motherwell, and while we were involved in cup finals, there was maybe less of an expectation to get there.
“It’s the opposite at Celtic, so to be involved in big games, tournaments and cups would be an honour for me and my family. I can’t wait to do whatever I can to help Celtic win more trophies in this important season ahead.”
Mother well chairman Jim Mcmahon said he had mixed emotions over the transfer, which follows the sales of the likes of Louis Moult, Marvin Johnson, Cedric Kip re and James Scott in recent seasons.
“As chairman, I am delighted with this clear vindication of our strategy,” Mcmahon said. “For the health and prosperity of our fan-owned club, we must continue on this path. As a fan, I also feel the loss of such talented individuals who contribute to our success.”