The reason Greg Taylor swapped Celtic for PAOK as defender opens up on transfer pitch
Greg Taylor admits the love he was shown from PAOK convinced him to join the Greek side.
Ex- Celtic star Taylor, 27, pulled the curtain down on a trophy-laden six years at Parkhead after rejecting a new contract.
The left-back signed a two-year deal with PAOK, who finished third in the Greek Super League last season.
Brendan Rodgers fought hard to keep him at Celtic, but Taylor 's head was turned by the sales pitch from new boss Razvan Lucescu.
He told the club's media channel: "It's obviously a new chapter for me and my family but I'm very excited to be here now.
"The love I was shown from the club, many of the directors, the manager, they showed that they believed in me and were very excited for me to come to the project with such a historical season, the 100 years of the club.
"It made me really want to take the jump to be here. We want to be the best team in Greece, we want to win the league and hopefully be successful in Europe. That would be our aim for this season."
Taylor - who won five titles at Celtic - has set his sights on lifting more silverware in Greece.
PAOK were crowned champions after a dramatic final day in 2024 but lost their title to Olympiacos last season.
Taylor said: "Straight away, you can understand that the fans are so patient. It was explained what happened on the last day of the season of 2024, so I can't wait to play in front of them and see their passion in the stands."
The defender will once again share a dressing room with former Celtic flop Jonjoe Kenny at the Toumba Stadium.
He added: "Obviously, Jonjoe signed this season. We played together at Celtic previously, so it's nice to have a familiar face in the changing room. But I'm also looking forward to meeting the rest of the guys in the team."
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