Fulham’s Nearly Bhoy – “So I was meant to go to Celtic,” Alex Iwobi

The Celtic Star

·27 Februari 2025

Fulham’s Nearly Bhoy – “So I was meant to go to Celtic,” Alex Iwobi

Fulham star Alex Iwobi has opened up about the time he nearly signed for Celtic when he was a teenager…

Alex Iwobi of Fulham reacts during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Nottingham Forest FC at Craven Cottage on February 15, 2025. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

The Premier League performer is now plying his trade with Fulham in the English top division and made the move to Craven Cottage after initially leaving the Emirates for Everton, way back in the summer transfer window of 2019.

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As a 16 year-old Alex Iwobi almost joined Celtic

After spending a few years with the Goodsion Park club, he was on the move once again and signed for the Cottagers in the summer of 2023. A main feature in the Fulham sides most weeks, the left-winger is a seasoned professional now in the biggest league in the world. However, things could have been so much different if he had made the call to come to Scottish football with Celtic when he was just 16.

Alex Iwobi of Fulham during the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Fulham FC at The King Power Stadium on January 18, 2025. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

He has revealed Celtic was an option

Arsenal were unfazed about letting the youngster go at that point and he has revealed Celtic was an option. Speaking to the Fulham Fix podcast, he said: “When you actually have to leave school and it’s full time football, that’s when I thought ‘okay, it’s getting serious now that I need to buckle up’. At 16, I got told I had the option to leave Arsenal or go to another club or sign a scholar. So I was like, what do I do here?

“Because I mean, I couldn’t make, I just think of the decisions I made when I was 16 and none of them were sensible. You didn’t have an option to sign for Arsenal, I’m afraid. Everyone has different paths, but I’ve always had a great support system. Like my dad and my mum and my sister have always been around to say that.”

Alex Iwobi of Fulham looks on during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Fulham FC at St James’ Park on February 01, 2025.(Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

“‘Oh, if you want to go, you can go'”

He continued: “When I was younger, there’s many times I’ve been told, oh, you’re not good enough, you’re not good enough. And that was just another moment. I was the only one playing for England at the time that didn’t get offered a professional contract where there was like six of them. So I only just had a scholar and they said, ‘oh, if you want to go, you can go’.”

Alex Iwobi of Fulham warms up prior to the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Nottingham Forest FC at Craven Cottage on February 15, 2025. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“So I was meant to go to Celtic”

Despite this, Iwobi decided to stay the course after consulting his father at the time, who encouraged him to stay and fight at Arsenal. “So I was meant to go to Celtic. I went to see Crystal Palace,” he said. “I know there was one more team I can’t remember, but I remember going to Crystal Palace and training ground at 16. Me and my dad said ‘no, you’ve been in this position before where they said, you’re not good enough, go prove them wrong again’. So I was like, okay, cool, I’m going to sign my scholar.”

Paul Gillespie