Celtic target David Strelec’s father revealed he was over the moon when he thought his son was set to sign for the Scottish champions. But he’s claimed that the Hoops’ offer of £7.9million ‘didn’t help’ the deal go through for the Slovan Bratislava hotshot.
The Slovakian international was left hugely frustrated when deadline-busting transfers to both Celtic and Middlesbrough fell through and the 23-year-old refused to celebrate a goal this week on his comeback for the club. Now, his dad – former Slovan star Milan Strelec – has opened up about how devastated he was that his son’s dream switch to Parkhead didn’t materalise.
He said: “You know, when I heard about Celtic’s interest, I was thrilled. I was there at Slovan’s first match in the Champions League, whole families were sitting there, old and young, amazing atmosphere. I would have loved to see him there. He has made great progress since the Euro, he is doing well, he is scoring goals. But the decision about his transfer was made higher up.
“Celtic’s bid of 9.5m Euros? [£7.9m] That didn’t help either. Unfortunately, that’s how it is. But none of us knows the exact details of the contract or how the installments or bonuses were set. Maybe Slovan wanted to get it all at once, that’s why the club decided against it. It’s probably pointless to get into it.
“I watched the Celtic game over the weekend, everyone knows that the Scottish competition is about two clubs, but it could have been a good intermediate step for David. But there are things you simply can’t influence. It turned out the way it turned out. We’ll see what happens in the summer. My son will continue to perform well, I’m sure of that.
“It was beyond my control. They have invested a lot in David over the years, although some would say he’s already paid it back. I guess they know what they’re doing. My son will continue to perform well and be professional and in the summer… who knows?”