Motherwell Win Big On David Turnbull Transfer Deal

Date: 21st June 2019

The David Turnbull transfer saga is finally over (Well just about).

Like all good soap operas we had a lot of twists and turns along the way before the youngster decided to sign for Premiership champions Celtic. 

Celtic haven’t confirmed the deal just yet but the player has already been photographed in a Hoops jersey sitting alongside Celtic boss Neil Lennon, who also happily discussed the midfielder during his latest press conference.

Now I think it’s great business for Celtic as they’ve brought in a terrific young player and one who showed he’s able to handle the rigours of top flight football. It’s a coup that they got David ahead of English Premier League sides and he’ll be a fixture in the champions engine room for years to come. 

The player has got a real chance to prove himself on a bigger stage. It’s not going to be easy for him to get into that starting line-up but that fight will only make him a better player, in my opinion. He can learn from already established midfield stars like Scott Brown and Callum McGregor, plus he will also get more chances to play in European competition when he’s starring for Celtic. 

But for me, the biggest winner in this whole transfer story is Motherwell FC. 

The fan owned club have managed to bring in over £3m for a player that came up through their youth ranks. That’s massive for any Scottish side outside of the top two!

It gives The Well options and breathing space when it comes to budgets. Many dismiss fan operated clubs but having a strong backing from The Well Society as well as being run efficiently by Chief Executive Alan Burrows has given Motherwell a new lease of life. 

The people (fans) that run the club are realistic, they do what’s best for the club’s future. It’s not about a fantasy of picking the team or not selling to a team inside your own league. They know and admit that they’re business model is to promote players on the field by giving them minutes and off the field with unique social media content that highlights their best attributes. 

That game-plan works and has seen more local youngsters gaining places in the first team, which in turn has led to the club receiving their highest ever fee for a player. 

Let’s not forget that the Lanarkshire club spotted that Turnbull was a class act and tied him down to a new longer deal back in January. That contract gave Motherwell the upper hand in transfer negotiations this summer and meant they could get a better fee for his services. 

Many have pointed to Alan Burrows’ twitter activity, with Celtic fans unhappy that he made the deal public before it was completed. Yes, that could’ve been a ploy to show the Glasgow giants that they would have to meet Well’s asking price but it also showed his own support that the club would be transparent.

Transparency which many a Scottish football fan has been calling for in recent years! Plus again Motherwell are a fan owned club, so it was only right that they were being kept in the loop. 

All in all, this transfer has shown me once again that fan ownership works. Don’t get me wrong you still need the right people running the show but Motherwell have that and they are looking pretty before the start of the 2019-20 season! 

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