Celtic were busy on transfer deadline day, but they didn’t make a move for midfielder Ali McCann despite Preston North End’s fears.
That’s according to The Sun on Sunday (05/09, p62), who claim that Preston really feared Celtic coming in with a late bid for McCann.
North End secured a deal for the midfielder with just seconds to spare on deadline day, rushing through a move to bring the Northern Ireland international to Lancashire.
Yet Preston knew that, with the Scottish deadline only coming an hour later than the English one, they had to get a deal over the line quickly.
Celtic had been scouting McCann earlier this year, and North End wanted to make sure they didn’t swoop in and make their move for the St Johnstone star.
Preston managed to get the deal over the line with no attempt from Celtic, who were busy tying up a deal for Tottenham Hotspur defender Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Celtic also brought in Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis on deadline day, but maybe felt that they didn’t need to bring in another midfielder.
Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro can all play in the middle, whilst James McCarthy has signed and Liam Shaw has been added for the future.
The £1.2million fee for McCann was a bargain given his performances for St Johnstone, and Celtic now have to hope that he doesn’t become another John McGinn.
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