Hibs: Scott Allan opens up on 2015 Rangers interest and Celtic 'blocking return to Easter Road'

The midfielder appeared on Open Goal’s ‘Keeping the Ball on the Ground’ programme
Scott Allan spoke about the 2015 transfer saga and his return to HibsScott Allan spoke about the 2015 transfer saga and his return to Hibs
Scott Allan spoke about the 2015 transfer saga and his return to Hibs

Hibs midfielder Scott Allan has spoken about the 2015 transfer tug-of-war that resulted in him joining Celtic amid sustained interest from Rangers.

The 28-year-old appeared as a guest on Open Goal’s ‘Keeping the Ball on the Ground’ programme and was quizzed about the summer saga as well as his eventual return to Hibs for a third time in 2019.

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"I can't really remember much about it, there was that much going on,” he admitted.

"Hibs didn't want to sell me because we were in the same league [as Rangers]. I'd had interest twice before from Rangers – before I went to West Brom [from Dundee United] and again before I went to Hibs [in the summer of 2014].

“I'd been through it all before. It was my first full season back playing again week in, week out and I was obviously flattered by the interest from a few teams.”

Rangers made a number of offers for the playmaker, with Hibs rebuffing every approach. Allan added: “It never came down to choosing between Celtic and Rangers.

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“Rangers had made a few low bids, installments, and that's what I think angered Hibs to begin with. But Scott Brown phoned me, and we had a long conversation.

“That was about a week before the move actually happened, and he was asking me, 'would you come here?'

"And by the time Celtic made their offer, Rangers didn't have the money to match it. Plus, Celtic gave Hibs [Dylan] McGeouch and [Liam] Henderson as well.”

Lawwell 'blocked early return’

Allan also claimed Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell had effectively blocked him from returning to Hibs in January 2019, ahead of his eventual summer switch.

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He explained: "My last year at Celtic, Brendan Rodgers had said at the start of the season I was going to be part of the squad and then first game of the season, I just wasn't in the squad.

"So very quickly after that I knew I wasn't going to be playing. I actually trained even more, started going to the gym constantly. I became obsessed, going to spin classes at night after training. I hardly missed a training session last season but didn't play any games.

"I got myself to Christmas and I thought, it's okay, I'm going to Hibs in January with Lenny. Then Celtic wouldn't let me go - Peter [Lawwell] said I couldn't go to Hibs, felt they'd done Hibs too many favours in the past so that was off the table but I thought it would have been pushed through.

"Then the second half of the season it was just more of the gym and the yoga, doing extra stuff at night, that kept me sane.”

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Allan admits the prospect of going on loan wasn’t one that interested him, adding: “I just wanted to get back to playing.

“I'd done plenty of loan stints and it's not always the best thing for you, but I thought the Hibs move would have happened and it didn't, so that extra four months was tough.

“That last year [at Celtic] was a waste.”

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