Rocksport pundit Gerry Collins has sensationally claimed that Celtic turned down a move for Swedish international Filip Helander before Rangers pounced on the defender.
Rangers signed Helander for £3m [Rangers.co.uk] from Serie A outfit Bologna with Steven Gerrard waxing lyrical about the defender.
But Gerry Collins claims that Celtic turned down a move for Helander on the recommendation of Swedish full-back Mikael Lustig.
“I hate to be gloom and doom but I believe that and this has come from a good source for me, I believe that Celtic were mentioned and they went to Mikael Lustig about it,” said Collins [Rocksport, 17/07/19 approx. 05:30].
“And they asked Mikael Lustig ‘is it right for Celtic?’ and he said no.”
After saying this, host Bill Young pointed out that Helander himself had claimed that he’d spoke to Mikael Lustig about the move.
Collins wouldn’t have it in his response.
“I’m hearing a different version,” said Collins. “I’m hearing that Lustig was approached within Celtic. [He was asked] Would he [Helander] be a fit for Celtic and he said no.
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“Good player, just what you said there, he’s a talker on the park, but severely lacks place.
“And I think if you’re a defender at the top end of the market I think you’ve got to have a bit of pace about you.
“That’s the thing that Celtic walked away from.”
It’s an incredibly bold claim from Collins and it is the only report that seems to claim so.
Now a pundit, Gerry Collins played as a footballer for a spate of clubs in Scotland which include Stranraer, Ayr United and Partick Thistle.
He also spent a short time as manager of both Falkirk and Partick Thistle.
Former Rangers midfielder Robert Prytz has been considerably more positive about Filip Helander.
The Swedish hero compared the defender to Liverpool icon Virgil van Dijk [Scottish Sun].
