Vasilios Barkas is believed to have agreed personal terms with Celtic, as reported in The Herald, whilst the club wrangle with AEK Athens over the transfer fee. Having failed to re-sign Fraser Forster, Barkas could be an ideal option between the sticks.
Barkas was linked with a move to Roma just a few months ago after an outstanding run of form in goal. However, the Greek international bizzarely stated that he hates playing as a keeper and would prefer to play outfield! In an interview conducted last month, and reported by the Daily Record today, Barkas said:
“I don’t like playing as a goalkeeper. It’s not fun to play in that position. If I had the choice I would play as a defender or as a midfielder. In fact, when I am training with Greece, I play left back in the practice sessions.
“I actually became a goalkeeper by mistake. I went for trials in Kolonos when I was a kid and the coach put me in goal because he had enough players, even though I was short then. The pitch was a dirt surface and had no grass. I came back covered in cuts and bruises. But from there I got spotted and went to Atromitos for trials and I continued from there.
“Strikers are paid to score goals and my job is not to concede. But when you play at the top level, the feeling you had as a child is lost. You are paid for a purpose.”
The interest in Barkas from Roma didn’t amount to anything earlier this year, but it whet the appetite for a move to a big league in the future. Barkas said:
“There was nothing specific from Roma and there were other teams interested in me too. My father deals with that side of things. I am happy at AEK and I am not pushing for a transfer. I am already at a big team. If I went abroad, I would like to sign for a club in England, Germany or Italy. It wouldn’t be an easy step but I would like to do it one day.”
