Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has praised the club’s recruitment in securing a deal for Kasper Schmeichel. The 37-year-old arrived on a one-year deal with an option to extend for a further season as he becomes the new No.1, replacing former Man City colleague Joe Hart.
Speaking to Record Sport, Sutton was full of praise for Celtic’s business in bringing in the Premier League winning goalie.
“There were always going to be big gloves to fill at Celtic following Joe Hart’s decision to retire at the end of last season.
“But Brendan Rodgers has found one of the few keepers around that can slot into them with ease. Hart had experience, stature and presence at the back for the club – and that is exactly what Kasper Schmeichel will bring as well. I find it quite incredible that there’s been some resistance to the signing.
“Listen, you always want the perfect fit. In an ideal world you’d go out and sign some 28-year-old international who has yet to hit his peak, a guy with Champions League experience and who could make the club a lot of money down the line. But in the real world, those players are extremely hard to find – and even harder to afford. There are teams paying 10s of millions for those kinds of keepers. Celtic are not going to do that.
“So they have to think out side the box. They can either go for an experienced veteran or an up and coming youngster. It turns out they have done both.”
Schmeichel arrives with an incredible CV and reunites with Brendan Rodgers, who he worked with at Leicester City. The goalkeeper will perform a similar role to that of Hart in the Celtic dressing room bringing leadership and quality to the team.
Not only have Celtic added the experience of Schmeichel, they have signed Viljami Sinisalo from Aston Villa. The 22-year-old will deputise to the Denmark captain with a view to replacing him as the long-term number one at the club. The pair are in the USA for Celtic’s tour of the States as Brendan looks to prepare his side for the league season kicking off at the beginning of August.
