Ex-EFL striker reveals why he turned down Celtic move twice

The recently retired striker, however, chose to stay at Sheffield United, citing his deep-rooted love for the club as the reason.

'Neil Lennon twice tried to sign me for Celtic, but I was at Sheffield United and my heart took over.' Watch: Newly retired @billysharp10 tells me he how close he came to joining @CelticFC but didn't want to leave his boyhood club @SheffieldUnited. #CelticFC🍀 #sufc https://t.co/SAeVqkPsYp

— Arif Ahmed (@ArifAhmedITV) October 14, 2026

Sharp, who also played for Doncaster Rovers and Southampton, among others, admitted he has no regrets about turning down the chance to play for the Scottish team.

He said: "I had a couple of chances to go to Celtic, which I don't think many people know about. Neil Lennon tried twice to sign me, but I was at Sheffield United and my heart took over.

"European football, people say 'you must be mad'. That's how much Sheffield United meant to me. My wife's Scottish, she's a Hearts fan, so that was nothing to do with it.

"I could have played in Scottish football, could have played in Europe, but I just didn't feel it was right. Especially in COVID times as well, because people were saying, 'you're mad, Celtic Rangers.'

"And I was like, 'there are no fans, blah, blah, blah'."

Sharp also recalled how rumours over a potential move gathered pace after a trip to Scotland for T in the Park. He said: "When I went to T in the Park, when I flew from Southampton to Scotland to watch Calvin Harris.

"I returned hungover the next day, and I was on the back of the Scottish paper.

"I was going, and I was like, 'wow, it was close'."

Despite that, the former striker insists missing out on Celtic is not something that keeps him awake at night. He said: "Neil Lennon rang me twice.

"That's not a regret; it just could have been a little adventure that I'd like to have explored."