Kemar Roofe could have been cheering Celtic on in their Old Firm showdown against Rangers this weekend, had the Scottish champions succeeded in their previous attempts to snap him up. Instead, Roofe put pen to paper for the Gers in 2020 after the club splashed out £4.5 million to Anderlecht for his signature.
The 33-year-old previously revealed he had the chance to make the move to the Scottish Premiership before his arrival at Rangers. Speaking on the Open Goal podcast last year, he admitted he knocked back the opportunity to join Celtic in order to remain focused on the Belgian club.
He said: "It was Celtic first. Celtic asked my agent about it but I said no because my focus was just to play for Anderlecht. A week before that I'd spoken to [then Anderlecht manager] Vincent Kompany and he said, 'We still want you here.'
"In my head, I was going to play the full season again at Anderlecht. So, I said no." Yet a move to Scotland would soon come calling for Roofe - only it was to the blue half of Glasgow.
The striker disclosed that Anderlecht's financial troubles prompted them to accept Rangers' offer to take him off their hands, something Celtic never actually tabled. He explained: "Then about a week later, I got a phone call from Vincent Kompany saying Rangers have put in a bid, and the club have accepted.
"The difference was Rangers actually put in a bid. As soon as the bid came in, the club was in a financial situation because of Covid, so they said yes straight away. Then it was up to me to say whether I'd go to Rangers or stay at Anderlecht."
Roofe remembered his initial discussion with Gerrard, with the Liverpool legend telling him: "Come in, be our number nine and win the league." He did precisely that, with Roofe making an immediate impression at Ibrox by guiding the club to an unbeaten league campaign as they secured their first league crown in a decade.
The striker - who has been without a club since February following his departure from Walsall - netted 18 goals across all competitions, with 14 coming in the league during his first season.
Roofe will undoubtedly be watching closely on Sunday in the sixth Old Firm clash of the season, with second-placed Celtic looking to keep their title ambitions alive. His former side sit four points behind the reigning champions.
