Jimmy Bullard, a former star at Hull City, recently shared the story of how he nearly joined Celtic during his playing days. The ex-midfielder, who also played for Fulham and Ipswich Town, explained that his father, who was acting as his agent at the time, was the reason the deal fell through.
Bullard reflected on the missed opportunity while chatting with Si Ferry and Paul Slane on their YouTube channel. He revealed that during his time at Hull City, he was close to making a loan move to Parkhead under Neil Lennon’s management. However, his father’s handling of the negotiations led to the deal falling apart.
The midfielder recounted how his father demanded more money than what was agreed upon for the loan deal, causing the Celtic director to be taken aback. Despite the dream scenario being painted to him by Lennon and the promise of wearing the coveted number 10 jersey, Bullard ultimately did not make the move.
Looking back, Bullard acknowledged that joining a club like Celtic would have been a significant career move for him. It could have potentially made a difference for the team during the 2010/11 season when they narrowly missed out on the league title to Rangers.
With talented players like Freddie Ljungberg, Scott Brown, and Kris Commons in Celtic’s midfield at the time, Bullard’s addition could have strengthened the squad even further. Unfortunately, due to his father’s botched negotiations and personal circumstances, the move to Celtic never materialized, leaving Bullard with a sense of what could have been.
