Nigel Clough claims Kris Commons did the dirty on his old club Derby

Clough thought he would sign the deal, only for Commons to opt for the move to Parkhead. Clough said: "I am surprised by the outcome because for the last four to six weeks, he (Commons] has been telling us and everybody else that he loved the club, loved the supporters, loved the training, loved everything about the place.

"He thought we had a good chance of getting promoted in the next season or two and as long as we matched this figure he had in mind for his contract, then he would absolutely love to stay. We matched what he wanted to the penny. And we also put an extra year on the contract, which he didn't stipulate but mentioned. So to play safe, the extra year was put on.

"We did all we could to keep Kris. I really don't think we could have done any more. We would maybe have lost out in different ways, looking ahead to next season, because it was a huge figure in our current wage structure. To go to those lengths and put that on the table and for him to then turn it down was extremely disappointing."

"Do we feel we have been played? In some ways. I don't know if played is the right word but when you look back at what Kris has done over the last few years at different clubs, then maybe we shouldn't be surprised.

"That is why we have got some money in for him and he is out of the building. When you look at his performances in the last five to six weeks, that is not a bad thing."

Meanwhile Commons' club and country team-mate, Scott Brown, says he will continue to acknowledge Neil Lennon as the sole arbiter of his form. The Parkhead captain has split the club's support since his 4.4million move from Hibernian in 2007. Lennon has been his biggest cheerleader, especially in recent weeks, and even Brown's biggest critics would have to concede that the Scotland international was the driving force behind Celtic's win over Aberdeen on Saturday.

Asked if Lennon's recent praise and encouragement has been a boost, he replied: "Yes, but I don't listen to anybody else to be fair. He is the only one that I need to answer to and if I'm impressing him then that's all that matters."

With a domestic treble still on the cards, Brown believes Celtic are hitting top form at the right time. "We are looking good," he said. "Players want the ball and when they get it, there is the opportunity for others to go forward.

"We are scoring goals now as well. Everyone criticised us at the start of the season for not scoring enough goals so we have managed to turn that around."We are creating chances from all over the park and even the centre-halves are scoring.

"But we have a lot of big games coming up - Aberdeen, Rangers and Dundee United, all away from home - and we will need to be at our best."