Celtic today went to war with Jackie McNamara, after their former captain accused them of "dragging his name through the mud" over his recent move to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 31-year-old, who was one of Wolves boss Glenn Hoddle’s primary summer targets, put pen to paper on a two-year deal at Molineux three-days-ago and later went on the record at a press conference to reveal that Celtic had failed to do enough to extend his ten-year association at Parkhead.
McNamara, a Scottish international with 30 caps, was recently approached by Celtic with the offer of a new one-year deal, but the defender who was one of the lowest paid players at the club, rejected the lacklustre bid immediately and began talks with his agent Darren Jackson and Wolves CEO Jez Moxey.
McNamara, who made a total of 347 appearances for Celtic following a move from Dunfermline for £650,000 back in October 1995, then pledged a verbal agreement to Glenn Hoddle that he would join Wolves, but in a last-ditch attempt to keep the former 1998 Scottish Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Season Celtic came back to the table with a two-year deal offer, which a disgruntled McNamara immediately turned down in favour of a move to England.
Celtic today hit-back at McNamara, who was recently handed a testimonial match against the Republic of Ireland which was watched by 50,000 supporters for his decade of service to the Bhoys, insisting that if the player had wanted to stay he could have done.
The Scottish giants revealed that they had offered McNamara a lucrative new two-year deal with a pay increase of almost half his salary on top of what he would have been earning - more than he is now being paid by Wolves.
But an angry McNamara today responded by telephoning Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, who is currently on a scouting trip in Poland, to register his immense displeasure.
McNamara said: "My reputation is being damaged in the eyes of the Celtic supporters and I'm not having that.
"I told Gordon I was not going to be accused of being a money-grabbing mercenary who had moved the goalposts during contract talks when my move to Wolves has got nothing to do with hard cash.
"I'm going to Molineux for the same money I got in my last season at Celtic.
"I feel there has been a lack of professionalism. I know Martin O'Neill's situation didn't help but I felt I was being used.
"I'm not going to be accused of holding the club to ransom.
"I'd have given anything for this business to have ended any other way. But this issue is about respect so far as I'm concerned, and I don't think Celtic showed any respect to me or Darren Jackson, my agent.
"They are trying to take the heat off the club and portray Darren and me as greedy. That's simply not true.
"I am very angry over the way I've been treated because I feel my name has been dragged through the mud to spare Celtic's blushes."
But Celtic claimed that McNamara was hell-bent on leaving Parkhead and they had done everything in their power to keep their skipper.
A spokesman for Celtic said: "Once the new manager had made it plain he wanted to keep Jackie as a priority we did everything in our power to keep him.
"We made it very clear we didn't want Jackie to go and while we can understand he is upset at leaving Celtic it wasn't entirely his decision.
"If he had wanted to stay he'd still be here with at least a two-year deal and a very substantial increase in salary.
"Celtic conducted negotiations with his agent with the utmost professionalism. Indeed, the call concerning Jackie was the first the chief executive made after the new manager had been unveiled."
McNamara, a Scottish international with 30 caps, was recently approached by Celtic with the offer of a new one-year deal, but the defender who was one of the lowest paid players at the club, rejected the lacklustre bid immediately and began talks with his agent Darren Jackson and Wolves CEO Jez Moxey.