Celtic FC head coach Brendan Rodgers finally reveals the hidden reason why the decided sell 24 years-old Midfielder David Turnbull in January window to Cardiff City FC

Going away was always going to be a possibility at Celtic during the middle of the season when Brendan Rodgers was in charge.

The Irish manager said in December that he would like the Scottish champions to have a team of about 25 players, which is a lot fewer than the current number of people on the payroll.

Still, the Hornets couldn’t get players like Yuki Kobayashi, James McCarthy, and Gustaf Lagerbielke off the books, even though Anthony Joseph said all three were likely to leave [Anthony Joseph].

Fans were especially confused when they saw that veteran midfielder McCarthy stayed in Glasgow after Volos FC made a loan deal to Celtic for the 33-year-old. McCarthy hasn’t played for Celtic since October 2022 [Sky Sports].

The Bhoys were able to help get Yosuke Ideguchi, Hyeokkyu Kwon, Mikey Johnston, Marco Tilio, Adam Montgomery, and David Turnbull to leave the building in different roles, which helped Lennoxtown cut down on staff.

Turnbull was probably the most well-known player to leave during the middle of the season. His sale to Cardiff City brought back £2 million for the club, even though he only had a few months left on his deal [Football Scotland].

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers talks about the departure of David Turnbull
When Celtic fans hear that Reo Hatate will be out for five to six weeks with a calf injury, they may not want to sell Turnbull.

Tomoki Iwata is back in training, but the 26-year-old isn’t quite up to full speed yet, and it’s still not clear when he might be able to play again after his injury problems.

Even so, the Hoops went through with the sale, and Rodgers has now explained why the club made the choice, telling the Scotsman, “It goes back to the summer, knowing where David was at in his thinking.”

“He was leaving at the end of the year, so I thought it would be best for both of us if he went out and played.” He did a good job here. He is a good person who worked very hard, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. Now he will have the chance to have a stable place to play.

Celtic will miss David Turnbull’s goals.

Turnbull wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and he may not have been the most athletic player to ever wear the green and white hoops, but his eye for goal almost always delivered.

Transfermarkt says the 24-year-old has scored seven goals in 16 Scottish Premiership games this season.

His goal ratio is 0.93 goals per 90 minutes, which is the best in the league. Hyeongyu Oh is far behind him in second place with 0.75 goals per 90 minutes [Fotmob].

Yes, it was probably time for Turnbull to move on with his career. However, it does seem a little odd that no one has been brought in to try to fill his middle role.

“I can only concentrate” – Celtic Coach Brendan Rodgers responded to Celtic fans ‘sack the board’ chants during Aberdeen vs Celtic 1-1 match draw:

After a disappointing January window, Celtic fans sent a clear message to the people in charge at Parkhead.

After Celtic fans held a protest against the board, Brendan Rodgers told his players to not worry about what was going on off the field.

At Pittodrie, Celtic fans put up a sign that said, “Celtic board—on your heads be it” as the league leaders stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen. Rangers beat Livingston 3-0, which means Philippe Clement’s team can pass Celts to the top of the league on Tuesday night, 24 hours before Rodgers’ team goes to Easter Road.

Bojan Miovski gave the Dons an early lead in the second half, but Nicolas Kuhn, a new player, came in and saved a point for the away team. But their latest title loss has made things worse between the fans and the club’s leaders, with fans calling for Peter Lawwell to be fired.

When asked about the protests, Rodgers said, “I can only handle the players and what we do on the field.” The only way to make things better is to win games and play well, which is what we want to do.

“That kind of pressure will always be there at big clubs like Celtic.” I don’t need to add any more people. They know that’s what it means to play for Celtic. It’s my job to give them the faith they need to get the results we need. We still have a long way to go.

“I’m delighted” – Ex-Celtic Fc player David Turnbull officially speaks out on his transfer after leaving the club to join Cardiff City

Celtic fans will have mixed feelings about the January transfer window now that they are focused on winning the Scottish Premiership.

With the additions of Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah, Brendan Rodgers will have more options in the front three spots as the season goes into the second half.

Even so, a lot of people are angry that the Hoops didn’t bring in a left back, even though reports say that manager wanted to improve that position very badly.

The other side is that Rodgers’ plan to cut down on the team has been moving forward. Players like Yosuke Ideguchi, Marco Tilio, and Hyeokkyu Kwon have left to play regular football elsewhere.

Last month, Adam Montgomery was signed on loan by Motherwell. However, the 21-year-old has since gone back to Celtic to get care for a serious injury.

Mikey Johnston is now trying to make a name for himself at West Bromwich Albion. In the meantime, David Turnbull joined Cardiff City on deadline day for £2 million plus add-ons, which was good for the Bhoys [Football Scotland].

David Turnbull talks about his move from Celtic to Cardiff City
For the most part, Celtic only have a few local players who can play for the first team. They are also missing one player in this area because Turnbull is leaving for the Welsh capital.

This season, the 24-year-old played in 16 Scottish Premiership games and scored seven goals. The Hoops didn’t try to replace those goals on the last day of the transfer window [Transfermarkt].

As he only had a few months left on his Parkhead deal, losing the player for free in the summer would have been worse than getting £2 million off of him.

In any case, the Scotland international has talked about his move to Cardiff and is “buzzing” about the chance to play for his new team.

He said: [official page for Cardiff City FC] “I’m thrilled and excited to be here. The last few days have been long, but I’m glad it’s finally done and can’t wait to start. It really interested me when I heard about it. The Club is very big. I’ve seen them before and want to join in now.

“The city is great, and it was nice to see the stadium when I got there.” I’m really excited about it and think it’s great.

Turnbull’s departure will open up spots in the Celtic middle.
Realistically, Celtic will think they made the right choice when they decided to sell Turnbull, which could open up chances for other people to step into the engine room.

Odin Thiago Holm is a good player with a lot of promise. He could be thrown into the action more often after only playing 12 times this season [Transfermarkt].

Rodgers has also talked about trying to help school graduates find their way in the east end of Glasgow. Daniel Kelly played well in his first game as an adult against Buckie Thistle, which suggests that he might be brought in if he keeps improving.

Japanese enforcer Tomoki Iwata hasn’t been seen much in 2023–24, but that may change because there aren’t as many players in middle right now.