In a candid discussion on the Offside with Taylor Twellman podcast, former Celtic forward Giorgos Giakoumakis shed light on his departure from the club, pointing to unfulfilled contractual agreements and the harsh Glasgow climate as pivotal factors in his transfer.

During his tenure at Celtic, spanning a season and a half, Giakoumakis showcased his prowess on the pitch by scoring 26 goals and sharing the top scorer title in the Scottish Premiership for the 2021/22 season, despite a slow start.

The Greek striker frequently found himself playing second fiddle to Kyogo in the lineup, a situation that fueled his discontent at Celtic. Reflecting on negotiations, Giakoumakis expressed his disappointment: “I said, ‘Okay, you know what? Now you have to give me what I deserve. I was waiting. And then they said no.’”

In addition to contractual issues, the dreary Glasgow weather heavily influenced his choice to seek a new path. Giakoumakis elaborated, “At the end of the day, I was like ‘do I want to go there again with this s*** weather – maybe even worse than Glasgow?’ One year in Glasgow and I went out with my son in the park one time. That is miserable. I said (to Midtjylland), ‘thank you, but I at least need the normal weather’ – that was the reason.”

Giakoumakis’s transfer to Atlanta United was solidified by the personal attention he received from the club’s vice president and technical director, Carlos Bocanegra. The effort Bocanegra made to personally meet Giakoumakis in Glasgow left a lasting impression on the player: “Carlos was the only one, the only director that flew to Glasgow just to meet me. And I really appreciated that. They showed me straight away that, you know what, you’re really important. We don’t care if you’re going to be able to sign for [us] or not, we just want to meet you.”