KEVIN DOYLE EXPECTED to join Celtic when the SPL giants moved to bring him to Parkhead on loan last week.
The striker said he was “pretty sure” the move would happen only for Wolves to reject Neil Lennon’s bid on transfer deadline day.
Now instead of helping Celtic defend their Scottish title and prepare for the Champions League last 16, Doyle must fight to regain his form and impress new Wolves boss Dean Saunders.
“To be honest, the day or two before, I thought it was going to be done,” Doyle said in Dublin last night after he collected the award for 3 International Goal of the Year.
“I was pretty sure it was going to go ahead.”
Saunders revealed last week that Celtic’s late bid was rejected because he would not have enough time to find a replacement.
But Doyle says chairman Steve Morgan assured him that he’s still an important part of the setup.
There was a crossing of wires. I thought the club wanted to get me off the wage bill and the chairman assured me that that wasn’t the case.
“The chairman assured me that he wants me there so that’s all I can do,” he added. “If they didn’t want me, they would have let me go.”
Celtic currently lead the SPL by 15 points as they get set to meet Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 match next week.
The move, Doyle admits, was very attractive.
“It would have been a fantastic opportunity for four or five months.
“A club in the last 16 of the Champions League and top of their league, it would have been a great opportunity to play for a massive club.”
