Greg Taylor last night spoke of the “mental torture” he endured as he waited on his £2.2m deal from Kilmarnock to Celtic going through on deadline day.
The 21-year-old Scotland internationalist last night signed a four-year deal with Neil Lennon’s side to end a summer of speculation and admitted that he had to sweat it out as the clock ticked towards the closure of the transfer window.
Taylor underwent a medical at Lennoxtown and agreed personal terms with Celtic on Saturday but it wasn’t until yesterday evening before both clubs finally settled on a fee for the fullback. There was also interest in the player who was released from Rangers as a teenager from Sunderland and Nuremberg.
"It was mental torture,” said Taylor. “It was a waiting game.
READ MORE: Greg Taylor: Expectations at Celtic will bring out the best in me
"I went to the gym in the Scotland hotel on Monday afternoon and left my phone in the room, as I'd been on it that much.
"I was just waiting for the text or call from Jackie McNamara, my agent, to say it was on.
"When I went back to the room at about 5pm, that's when I got it.
"My girlfriend will be delighted that I won't be checking my phone all the time now. She and my family have been under more pressure because they knew how much it meant to me.”
Taylor revealed that he watched Celtic’s win over Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday from his sofa, still uncertain as to whether or not he would be a Parkhead player before the closure of last night’s window.
Asked if he watched the game thinking of himself as a Celtic player, Taylor said: “No, because I wasn't. I was still checking my phone! I was wanting them to go and get a result and they did that.
"There was a lot of interest and it was a long summer for me but I am just delighted to be here now. I am absolutely knackered. I sat on the couch with a cup of tea on Sunday watching the game.
"Did I think I could be playing in it at one point? You never know in football. Anything can happen. I was just hoping that the deal could get done, but I missed it by a day.
"People were saying I might be able to play but I was just focused on getting it done.”
The challenge for Taylor now is to force his way into Lennon’s side, with the fullback confident he has the capability of coping with the demands of the Parkhead side.
READ MORE: Celtic confirm Greg Taylor signing from Kilmarnock after summer saga
“My situation is that if I impress in training the hopefully I will get an opportunity and if I can take that then I will be more than happy,” he said.
"You have to have that self-belief. I do have it. You have got to. At a team like Celtic where you are expected to win every week there is more pressure. I understand that.”
Represented by former Celt Jackie McNamara, Taylor hopes to replicate the feats that the former Scotland internationalist enjoyed with the Parkhead side.
"He has been massive for me. He went through himself and left Dunfermline at a similar age to come to Celtic. I have the perfect mentor in Jackie. He has played in a lot of big games in his career and if I can listen to him it will stand me in good stead.
“Jackie was showing me the picture of himself that surrounds the stadium - he is not daft, is he? He was showing me where he lifted the trophies too,” said Taylor.
“It is about taking your opportunity when you get it. That is what I have tried to do all my career and thankfully when I got the chance to break into
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel