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Celtic: Johnny Russell aspires to represent hometown club before retirement
Sporting Kansas City attacker Johnny Russell has admitted that he wants to play for Celtic before he calls time on his career.
Russell dreams of Parkhead
The 30-year-old made his name with the English Championship side Derby County where he scored 35 times from 205 appearances, adding to his career tally of 112 (Transfermarkt).
Born and raised in Glasgow, Russell had a brief stint in his homeland with Raith Rovers as a youngster where he found the net on five occasions in 28 outings.
Typically a right-winger, the Scot is about to start another season with the Major League Soccer side in the United States, but revealed how he has future ambitions of moving to Celtic Park.
“I always said the dream was to play for Celtic but it’s never happened,” he told Herald Sport (19/02 print edition, page 4).
“That’s football. The season I went to Derby was there were a few bids made but Derby offered more and Celtic’s bids were never accepted. If they had been matched I would’ve gone to Celtic, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.
“Of course, nobody is going to turn down the opportunity to play for their heroes. It was always something I’d never give up hope on. You never know.”
Transfer Tavern Verdict
While it will be nice for Celtic supporters to hear that players want to move to the club, unfortunately, it may be too late for Russell.
Previous reports have suggested that the Hoops are considering a mass overhaul in the summer. We predict that this will be in the aim of focusing on the future, as opposed to players over the age of 30.
That being said, if Russell is brought in, his presence would provide an additional boost to the squad’s strength in depth.
In other news, Alan Hutton gives reason as to why Neil Lennon is still Celtic manager.
