Saints chief executive Martin Semmens has claimed Fraser Forster had no intention of re-signing for Celtic this summer and it was the goalkeeper’s active choice to stay at St Mary’s.

After an outstanding season with the Hoops, it was reported the two clubs had struck a deal and Fraser would come back on loan for the ten in a row season.

Neil Lennon and Peter Lawwell thought the deal was a forgone conclusion but when Fraser left at the end of June, it became clear pretty soon after he was not up for heading back to Glasgow.

The St Marys chief exec told SunSport:

“Fraser made an active decision to come back, he didn’t want to stay at Celtic anymore, he wanted to come back and play for us, and we will give him that opportunity.

“There’s never been any issue with Fraser from a relationship point of view. He has always trained brilliantly and he is a fantastic guy,

“Ralph and him have never had any issues and they’ve not really had a lot of time together.

“He has always been our player and one that we watched carefully.

“Fraser has been a full part of the squad since we came back. He couldn’t be involved in the games in July, because he wasn’t allowed to be part of that squad.”

It would be interesting to hear Fraser’s side of things. From the outside looking in, the player was languishing in the reserves, his career flat lining before Celtic came calling once again. He had a fantastic season, found his passion and contributed to Celtic’s success in a big way. Fast forward to July and he wants to sit on the bench or reserves down south instead of helping finish what he started ten years ago.

It could be as simple as the money, but was there anything else that put him off a move?