John Hartson etched his name into Celtic folklore during five successful years at the club – but he very nearly joined their arch rivals Rangers.
I 2000, the striker agreed terms to sign for the Gers in a £6.5million deal from Coventry.
However, the deal dramatically collapsed due to a problem with Hartson’s medical.
The following year he joined Celtic, where he formed a formidable strike partnership with Henrik Larsson and helped to end Rangers’ dominance in Scotland, which had occurred for much of the previous decade.
You could argue that Hartson’s switch swung the tide of recent success in Celtic’s favour, especially given what has happened since.
And in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT host Jim White, the Hoops legend reveals just how close things came to being very different .
“It was amazing what happened,” he said.
“I was flown in on Sir David Murray’s private jet, I was signing for Rangers, I’d agreed all terms, I was signing for £6.5million on the same day as Ronald de Boer in the year 2000.
“The medical came back and there was an issue with my knee. I was sent on my way back to Cardiff without much explanation. Then three months later they signed Tore Andre Flo for £13.2million.
“Six months later Martin O’Neill picked up the phone and said to me, ‘Rangers’ loss is our gain. Unless you’ve got a hole in your heart, I’m going to sign you’.
“The rest is history. I had five wonderful years at Celtic and it turned my football career around.”
Celtic took the early initiative in this season’s title race in Scotland, beating their neighbours 2-0 at Ibrox on Sunday.
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