With the all-important FC Midtjylland qualifier coming up in a week, and with Vasilias Barkas having picked up a hand injury in the pre-season camp in Newport this week, it appears that Celtic are in trouble for their biggest qualifying encounter for years.
Barkas, who endured a torrid season last campaign under Neil Lennon, has been ruled out of the game after a photo emerged of the Greek goalie with a bandage on his hand. This leaves Scott Bain and Conor Hazard to fight it out for the yellow keeper jersey; yet both don’t fill the majority of Celtic fans with confidence, which is not a good thing heading into a Champions League qualifier.
This may be why Celtic have been linked with yet another keeper in an attempt to banish their long-time woes; Newcastle’s Freddie Woodman.
Any keeper would be a welcome signing for Celtic, such is the lack of confidence that looms over the current keeping pool; and Sportslens have stated that Celtic have registered their interest in the Croydon-born shotstopper.
The report claims that Leeds had a bid turned down for Woodman, yet with Celtic’s options at a minimum, he would increase competition and have more chance of getting into the England squad that he so desperately wants to play for.
Woodman, who made his Newcastle debut at the age of just 14 for a XI in a pre-season friendly under Alan Pardew, has only made 4 appearances for the first team, following spells at Crawley, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and Swansea City. His performances in Scotland were largely impressive, especially at Kilmarnock where he kept five clean sheets in fifteen games. This led him to the England U20 World Cup team, where he impressed so much that he won the Golden Glove and more importantly, the cup itself.
However, he really made his name in Swansea; after two seasons in the Championship, Swansea made the play-offs both times – yet it was bittersweet for Woodman, who never tasted the success of winning the final.
