David Turnbull departed Celtic for English Championship side Cardiff City on January’s transfer deadline day. It was a move that came somewhat of the blue, but few were surprised by it.
The midfielder was into the last six months of his contract in Glasgow and instead of losing him for free in the summer, the club elected to sell the ex-Motherwell man whom they received around £2m for. It was an effective piece of business overall.
In Glasgow, Turnbull enjoyed a productive spell. He made over 130 appearances for Celtic, winning six trophies including a treble.
It didn’t quite work out for him under Brendan Rodgers despite a positive start to the current campaign. Recently speaking about his Parkhead exit, Turnbull admitted the previous year or so didn’t turn out how he planned: “Maybe the last six months to a year hasn’t been the way I wanted it”, he said (RecordSport).
“Whether it is down to other things I am not sure, but I leave Celtic happy with a lot of my time there and it’s time to come on to new things now.”
Particularly towards the end of his time at the club, it didn’t seem as though Turnbull’s mind was fully on things. With an exit down South likely in the pipeline at the time, one can understand why.
A departure was the best move for both parties and now, the 24-year-old has the opportunity to make a name for himself in English football.
