Former Hibs star shares why he selected controversial Hearts transfer after refusing Celtic waiting game
Ex Scotland international claims he was close to Parkhead switch
Michael Stewart has revealed how close he was to signing for Celtic from Hibs in 2007 - but when they kept him waiting the midfielder eventually opted for a Hearts return instead.
The former Scotland international originally came back to Edinburgh in 2004, when he signed on loan for Hearts from Manchester United. After negotiating the end of his contract at Old Trafford, Stewart then made the permanent move across the city to Hibs the following year. In 2007, he would then move back to Hearts as he joined an exclusive club of players to have crossed the Edinburgh derby divide twice. However, he claims Celtic were also interested at this point in his career.
Under manager Gordon Strachan, the Hoops had just secured their 41st Scottish title and had launched an Easter Road transfer raid the previous year. Stewart considered joining Leith teammates Gary Caldwell, Derek Riordan and Chris Killen in the East End of Glasgow, but Hearts swooped in while the Hoops mulled over a swoop.
Stewart on ‘chance’ of Celtic switch from Hibs
Nearly two decades on from the transfer debacle, Stewart explained on Not Another Football Podcast: “At the end of that season, I knew, obviously. I was like, ‘I wanted to go.’ There was a few sort of sniffs. Gordon [Strachan] was in at Celtic at the time, and John Park, who was at Hibs, had gone to Celtic, and there were a few Hibs boys [who] had gone.
“Derek [Riordan] had gone, big Chris Killen – remember the striker – he’d gone as well, and Gaz [Caldwell] had gone previously. So there was a wee chance of that, but they were talking [that] they would need to move on [Jiri] Jarosik and [Thomas] Gravesen, so they were off the wage before.”
Stewart on Hearts ‘unfinished business’
He continued: “They were like, ‘If you can hang about and wait’... So, in between that, Hearts had come back in, and I felt like I wanted to go back. I felt like I had unfinished business, and I wanted to go back, so I decided to go back to Hearts.”
Stewart would spend the following three years in Gorgie, where he eventually established himself as club captain and was recalled to the Scotland National Team for the first time in six years. The midfielder left Tynecastle in May 2010 to join Turkish side Genclirbirligi after a disagreement with ex gaffer Jim Jefferies.