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Full Stephen Welsh Interview: Celtic Exit, Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy Era, Brendan Rodgers' Departure & More

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CeltsAreHere Extra Time
Aug 17, 2026
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We sat down with Stephen Welsh for a chat about all things Celtic after the defender departed the club this summer.

The full transcript of the interview can be read below

How did contract exit come about? You go to Celtic or they come to you?

Originally it came from them which is fair enough. Going back to Motherwell in January that was probably the point that I knew that I had to move on in the summer. It’s a tough decision but I think selfishly you need to make decisions for your own career, they need to for the club as well so we just came to an agreement that it would be best to move on.

As soon as Swansea came calling it was a no-brainer for me.

Were you surprised by Celtic when they could’ve held out for transfer fee?

Yeah, I don’t know the financial logistics but for me it’s about playing and being involved with the squad. Obviously they didn’t see me as part of that which is fair enough. It’s a football business at the end of the day which is cutthroat so you need to respect every decision made. Honestly it probably suited me in the end because I get to come down here without any transfer fees. It was club to player which made it easier for Swansea.

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