'Very bad relationship' - Former Celtic star details reasons behind Parkhead exit

Former Celtic star Olivier Ntcham has opened up on the ‘very bad relationship’ he had with the club prior to his exit in 2021. The France-born Cameroon international made 87 league appearances for the Hoops, winning eight trophies in four years, including three Premiership titles.

After a brief loan spell with Marseille in 2021, he walked away from the club for good, joining Championship side Swansea City. Many were left surprised by the nature of his exit, with the midfielder walking away from the possibility of winning more trophies to join a second tier club elsewhere.

But speaking to the Daily Record, he has revealed how he became a little bored of winning at Celtic, while a poor relationship with the club also pushed him away from Parkhead. "I left Celtic because I didn't think I could win any more trophies with them at the time,” he revealed. “I was there for three seasons and we won everything, all the trophies.

“So I thought it was the right moment to leave. But I had some disagreements with the club because they didn't want me to leave. I left anyway and because of that, we had a very bad relationship. But I don't have any bad thoughts towards Celtic. At the end of the day, this is football and football is like that sometimes. I wish them the best and I was very happy while I was there."

Recalling the moment he scored the winner during an Old Firm clash in 2018, Ntcham, who is now at Samsunspor in Turkey having joined from Swansea in 2023, added: “It was incredible, it felt amazing to score the only goal. There are no words to use for this type of game, but it was great. The feeling, the stadium full, everything. The stadium was shaking and the moment I scored that goal was incredible. It was an amazing feeling and even now I struggle to describe the excitement.

"It was incredible, it felt amazing to score the only goal. There are no words to use for this type of game, but it was great. The feeling, the stadium full, everything. The stadium was shaking and the moment I scored that goal was incredible. It was an amazing feeling and even now I struggle to describe the excitement.”