Celtic starting early in search for Joe Hart replacement…
It was reported last night that Celtic are keeping tabs on Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin as they search for a goalkeeper to replace Joe Hart next year. If so it’s a good move to be looking so early as it’s a position we will be in great need to address come next summer.
As good as Joe Hart is, and he’s been superb for us, he will be 37 in the summer when his contract expires and I can’t in all honesty see him getting a new deal.
Joe is a top class keeper, you don’t play for the calibre of clubs he did and win 75 caps for England if you haven’t got quality. However I think it’s safe to say his best days are now beyond him and the club are absolutely correct in searching for a replacement. And no-one will appreciate that more than Joe himself, who will continue to be an important part of Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side this season before sorting out his future in the summer.
Lunin is just a rumour at the moment, but he’s the sort of keeper we should be looking at. He’s young at just 24, but he has great experience playing at the highest level for Dnipro and Zorya Luhansk in his native Ukraine and of course at Real Madrid where he’s currently employed.
He admittedly isn’t first choice at Real and has only played 19 first team games since his move there about six years ago, but at a club as big as Real that’s no shame. He’s also had loan spells at a few La liga sides. That hasn’t stopped him representing his national side though and he’s won 9 full caps, so he’s certainly talented.
Another plus is that he’s out of contract next summer so he won’t command a transfer fee. It’s only a rumour of course, but he’s the sort of player we should be targeting.
Bringing in a 24 year keeper of that quality would be a real statement from Celtic, but maybe it would be wise to keep Joe Hart as his mentor and back-up for the season, with a place in the bench in case he’s needed. That would seem to offer the perfect settling in period for a keeper like Lunin.
We were all excited when Celtic spent a record £4.5m bringing in highly rated AEK Athens goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas in the summer of 2020, yet he turned out to be an absolute disaster, for whatever reason.
If we sign Lunin, having Hart as his mentor and back-up for a season would be a decent plan.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
