Celtic’s deadline day was frantic and unpredictable, with deals still being pushed through right up to the final minutes. Benjamin Arthur, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka all came in late, each brought in to cover a different area as Martin O’Neill tried to add depth.
The Mvuka deal showed how rushed it became. A permanent move from Lorient was planned, but late medical issues changed that, turning it into a loan with an option to buy. That single switch shifted Celtic’s plans and forced other decisions to be made last minute.
One of those reportedly involved Calvin Miller. The winger, who grew up at Celtic, was close to a return. From his side, it felt done. But on a night where so much changed the move is said to have collapsed.
Charlie Mulgrew has now explained just how close Miller came to heading back to the Hoops.
He said: (Go Radio Football Show), “It happens both ways, though.
“I know that Celtic were trying to get Calvin Miller. He thought he was in the door.
“His agent got a call two days before [the deadline] saying that it’s ready to be done, they want him, and he was delighted to go back to Celtic.
“8.30pm on the night of the window [closing], it was done – obviously Celtic had plates spinning the way players do.
“I don’t know where he was [in that pecking order], whether he was second choice, and he thought he was getting a dream move back to Celtic and it didn’t happen. He got told at 8.30pm that the deal is off, so it happens both ways. That’s why these things drag out.”
From Miller’s point of view, the let-down is easy to see. Going back to the club he grew up with felt close, then it was gone late on.
For Celtic, it shows how close a deal was. With more than one deal moving at the same time, one decision relied on another. When Mvuka’s move changed, everything else shifted with it.
Miller carries on, Celtic look ahead, and this becomes another story of a move that almost happened but never quite did.
