Transfer Centre

Sacha Boey: 'I turned down Celtic to join Galatasaray this summer'

By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter | 18 December 2021

Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey reveals that he turned down the chance to join Celtic over the summer in favour of a move to the Turkish giants.

Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey has revealed that he turned down the chance to join Celtic over the summer in favour of a move to the Turkish giants.

The 21-year-old was allegedly closing in on a switch from Ligue 1 side Rennes to Parkhead in July, before the Frenchman opted to join Gala for around £2.2m.

Boey feels that he has made the right decision to turn down a move to the Scottish giants as believes that he has a greater chance of winning trophies with the Istanbul outfit.

"In the summer I had a straight choice between Celtic and Galatasaray," the defender told Turkish news outlet Fotomac, via the Daily Record.

"The previous season I had played against Celtic and got noticed, It was a great stadium and a fantastic atmosphere. I liked Celtic, but I said no.

"Galatasaray is an incredible club – they are the biggest in Turkey and the fans are unbelievable. Everything is huge. I made up my mind quickly. I want to win trophies. In football, they only remember winners."

Boey added: "I arrived in Istanbul on the Sunday. By the end of the day, one of my social media accounts went up from 14,000 to 50,000 followers before I said a word. I thought my phone was broken.

"When I was at the airport, the fans made me feel like a superstar. I am actually quite a grounded player. I haven't shown anything yet in football. But I know I have made the right choice and I am loving life at Galatasaray."

Having suffered with a hamstring injury for the majority of this season, Boey has been reduced to just seven appearances across all competitions since joining Galatasaray, who currently sit 10th in the Super Lig table, 18 points behind league leaders Trabzonspor.