AZ Alkmaar have confirmed the signing of a new number 1 to replace former goalkeeper Marco Bizot ahead of their Europa League tie vs Celtic
Indeed, the Dutch side have acquired the services of Nordsjaelland goalkeeper Peter Vindahl. He’ll take the number one jersey and has been registered by Alkmaar for their squad to face the Hoops.
Bizot left AZ earlier this summer to join Ligue 1 outfit Brest. Since then, they’ve been operating with back-up goalkeepers Hobie Verhulst and Beau Reus respectively.
Vindahl has cost the club a reported €1.8m [£1.5m] [Football-Oranje]. However, he doesn’t have much in the way of experience on the European stage.
At 23, this looks to be a long-term investment from Alkmaar here. He only has 55 appearances to his name at senior level, with all of them coming at domestic level in Denmark.
Vindahl has been capped four times by the Danish under-21 side. However, should he start against Celtic, it will mark his first-ever European tie.
AZ Alkmaar bag inexperienced number 1; Celtic should be watching with interest
Whilst the narrative from Celtic will always be that the club is focusing on its own preparation, this signing shouldn’t go unnoticed.
If Vindahl is given a massive debut against Celtic tomorrow night, it’s vital we test the nerves. Shots from range should be more of a priority early on in the match than they maybe would’ve been. It’s important to see whether there are any signs of nervousness.
Not that Ange Postecoglou will be swaying from his game-plan too much regardless. He’ll be working on his own plan to take down AZ, and the signing of a new goalkeeper for our rivals won’t change that.
But there’s no denying this adds an interesting dynamic to the tie. For many who see AZ as a fearful opposition, it’s soothing to know the markets they’re shopping in at the moment. They don’t have the finance to make big-money deals for top players.
Given their ropey start to the season, Alkmaar are hardly firing on all cylinders. Far from it. And the signing of Vindahl is hardly the going to raise their performance levels either.
The message from the Celtic boss should be clear tomorrow night – get on top of the new man early on.
In other news, Report: Celtic want Josip Juranovic in before Alkmaar tie; offer Legia £2m
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