Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon suggests speculation about future left him mentally drained

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Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon was linked with Chelsea during the January transfer window.

Celtic’s Craig Gordon

Craig Gordon has admitted that speculation surrounding his Celtic future during the January transfer window left him mentally drained, The Scottish Sun reports.

The 34-year-old was linked with a move to Premier League leaders Chelsea. The Blues had left the path clear for Asmir Begovic to leave Stamford Bridge provided that they managed to bring a replacement in, and Gordon was looked upon as that replacement it seems, with BBC Sport reporting that they made two bids for the Scotsman.

But with Gordon staying put and now set to commit his future to Parkhead by signing a new contract (via The Scottish Sun), he commented on how talk of a return to England had left him unsettled.

“I’ve had that a couple of times in my career where there’s been talk of changing clubs and bids coming in and having to play games during that time,” he said, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

“It is mentally draining, but you’ve got to do your job and we continued to play well.

“Celtic didn’t want me to go and I didn’t make a big fuss about wanting to leave.

“I wanted to make sure I was doing my job and helping the team to get to where we wanted to go.”

It is hardly a surprise that he was unsettled given that any move was seemingly dependent on what was also going on with Begovic, as he perhaps would never have full clarity on the situation as the future of another player was also up in the air.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers

But with The Scottish Sun now suggesting that he is set to commit to the Hoops, it appears that he has been able to put the rumours and speculation completely behind him and has been able to focus his attention on Brendan Rodgers’ men.

While Gordon’s form would surely not hurt Celtic’s chances of claiming another league title this year if he was off the boil for a sustained period of time – given that they are so far ahead in the Scottish Premiership – news that he is set to stay will still be a boost to the Bhoys side.

He has been one of the most reliable players in the squad this term – apart from a disappointing patch at the beginning of the campaign – and should still be able to make a contribution for a number of years.