By Rachel Lynch
LAST WEEK, I joked that when Hibs rejected yet another offer from Rangers for Scott Allan that Celtic should swoop in. Much to my surprise, by the end of the week I was hearing reports that the Bhoys were in actual fact serious about signing the 23-year-old midfielder.
Initially I thought 'was it only a rumour?' or was it some simple trolling by the Celtic fans on social media to get one over on their old rivals? To be honest, I wasn’t sure but I thought it was hilarious nonetheless.
As the week came to a close it became clear that this was a serious bid from Celtic for Allan. Twitter went into meltdown. Were Celtic buying a player for the craic? One side of Glasgow yet again were rejoicing in bragging rights while the other was hit with another massive blow.
Many Rangers fans believed Allan was a done deal for their ever-struggling club, which was understandable because he hasn’t been shy in admitting that Rangers was the club he grew up supporting. Images surfaced over the week of a young Allan decked out in a full Rangers kit which had been uploaded on his very own Instagram account.
Surely he was going to sign for his childhood club, and if that wasn’t a viable option then turning down Celtic would have been the next best thing, wouldn’t it have been? Apparently not. On Friday evening, Celtic’s official Twitter account announced the news of the signing of Allan on a four-year deal. The Tweet saw some comical responses from both sides of the city.
Celtic delighted to sign Scott Allan on four-year deal. (PC) http://t.co/xgbqUqhD1d pic.twitter.com/EYc6YV4iZy
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) August 14, 2015
He was unveiled to the home support on Saturday, just before Celtic’s game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The young lad – who began his career with Dundee United before moving to West Brom, then returning home to Scotland with Hibs – was actually given a rousing welcome from the crowd.
He told the official Celtic website that he was “absolutely delighted to sign for Celtic, such a fantastic club. It’s such an honour to be given this opportunity and I can’t wait to get started and play my part in bringing success to Celtic and our supporters”.
Scott Allan: Paradise welcome gave me goosebumps: http://t.co/h5yWpDhlaY (MD) pic.twitter.com/MuLg8VpYwX
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) August 15, 2015
Many Celtic fans voiced their opinion on the new signing, with the majority believing there is no need for Allan at the club, while others didn’t really mind once the lad walked out in the green and white hoops.
In my opinion, the signing is certainly a positive one for the club and Allan is an added bonus. Many Rangers supporters voiced their disappointment at Allan, who appeared to have no issues with joining Scotland’s most successful club, but why would he?
Allan has remained tight-lipped on Twitter since signing for his new club, although over the weekend I noticed he favoured a Tweet from Twitter account @CelticQuote, which was a line from former Celtic manager Jock Stein: “I lost some friends when I made the move, but if that’s all that matters to them, then they’re not really friends at all”.
The backlash from a number of Rangers fans that Allan received for choosing Celtic would have been tough reading for him, especially with the young lad being a supporter of the club for many years.
It’s a pretty big ‘one over’ Celtic have pulled on their rivals and one that will take a while to blow over. Missing out on a talented player to Celtic is bad enough, but losing one of your very own to Celtic has to feel like a right kick in the teeth.
I think Allan will fit in well with Celtic and, judging by the support he has received from the fans, everyone is hoping he will do well at the club. Celtic’s offer was too much for Allan to turn down, with the possibility of European football and the chance to win trophies. It’s something Allan is clearly looking forward to and I wish him the best of luck.
