Kasper Schmeichel hasn’t taken long to settle himself into Celtic, already becoming one of the key leaders of the Bhoys dressing room.
Signing on a free transfer during the summer after a spell with Anderlecht last season, the Danish goalkeeper has already impressed in pre-season and on his competitive debut against Kilmarnock.
The best is yet to come from the veteran shot-stopper, who has filled the void left by Joe Hart’s retirement at the end of last season.
It’s not just fans who are enthused about his arrival but the Celtic players too.
Schmeichel is already a popular member of the squad and isn’t letting his new signing status get in the way of dressing down a few established regulars when need be.
Callum McGregor on Kasper Schmeichel
Celtic captain Callum McGregor explained [Daily Record]: “We’ve had a couple of chats already. We spent a good bit of time over in America together and after just five minutes I knew he was on the level. He has had a hugely successful career but he still wants to achieve.
“He’s an experienced goalkeeper but after just a few minutes I could tell what he was about. He’s a proper character. You can tell that just by having a conversation with him but it’s also when you get on the pitch you see what people are like. When we played against Man City there was a moment when he berated Matt O’Riley.
“When you talk about demanding the most out of the players, that was an example of the type of thing I’m talking about. It’s about standards and behaviours. If you concede a shot you care about it. You take it personally and that’s what builds, a winning culture. But he’s probably made four or five really top saves already.
“So we know we have a top goalkeeper with the personality to go with it. Because if there is one thing you need at Celtic’s it’s personality to go and play. It can be a tough place to play football and you need that personality behind you and he has got that in spades.”
Schmeichel already part of the Celtic leadership core
McGregor went on to explain that, alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, Greg Taylor and Alistair Johnston, Schmeichel is already a key leadership voice within the squad that helps make his job easier as captain.
That’s crucial as Celtic push for success on four fronts this season. It has to be a group effort with responsibilities and burdens shared rather than put on the shoulders of one or two people.
As a goalkeeper, Schmeichel is likely to prove an effective enough signing – but with all his other attributes he could become a really important part of this team.
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