Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers moved to trim his squad in January amid having a bloated squad present at Lennoxtown.
Mikey Johnston, Hyeokkyu Kwon, and Marco Tilio were among the individuals to leave on loan during the month; meanwhile, Liel Abada and Alexandro Bernabei departed later in the year.
On deadline day, David Turnbull swapped Celtic for Cardiff City in a transfer worth £2 million amid the reality that his contract was expiring at Parkhead this summer.
In his time at the club, the 24-year-old won two league titles, two Scottish Cups, and two Scottish League Cup trophies, registering 31 goals and 23 assists in 134 appearances across all competitions [Transfermarkt].
Nevertheless, injury problems and the arrival of Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley limited his game-time under Ange Postecoglou, and a brief revival under Rodgers wasn’t enough to tempt the Scotland international to stick around.
Yesterday, the ex-Motherwell man delivered an honest assessment of why he opted to leave for a new challenge, stating: “I wanted more game-time than I was getting. That was probably the deciding factor. I was in and out last season. “
David Turnbull opens up on highs and lows at Celtic
Turnbull was always a well-liked player among the Celtic support due to his eye for goal; however, as with any player, he experienced his fair share of highs and lows at the club.
Despite this, he looks back at his time in Glasgow fondly, citing the experience of winning silverware and playing in Europe as an honour, even factoring in his struggles with injury and being able to hold down a regular starting slot.
Speaking about his time at the club, he stated [Daily Record]: “I’ve done a bit of reflecting since I’ve been away from Celtic and I’m happy with what I achieved there. I’m proud to have collectively won every trophy in Scotland twice. Did the move live up to my expectations? One hundred per cent.
“Everything about it, from the size of the club to challenging for every trophy, playing in the Champions League or Europa League – that’s stuff you don’t get at many other clubs. I played at some of the biggest stadiums, against some of the biggest clubs in the world.”
He later added: “The competition for places is fierce at clubs like Celtic. When you get a place you need to keep it. And after I got injured they brought boys in who did brilliantly well. You try to knuckle down and get back in but it’s tough. That was the frustrating part for me.
“At first, Scott Brown and Callum McGregor were there, whose positions in the team were nailed down. There’s then six or seven bodies fighting for another one or two positions in midfield. That’s a huge challenge. But I still feel like I achieved a lot. I scored goals and won trophies. That’s why you go to Celtic. But I picked up injuries at bad times.”
Celtic and Turnbull parted ways at an ideal time as it became apparent that he wouldn’t be a first-choice midfield pick with Rodgers’ squad at full tilt.
Either way, nobody can deny his talent, and hopefully, he can kick on in Wales following a successful spell at Parkhead.