Vasilis Bark has been given a big morale-booster as John Kennedy stressed the determination from Celtic to develop him into a top-class goalkeeper.
Barkas was given a massive reprieve two weeks ago when Celtic hosted Dundee United. The Premiership clash in Glasgow saw the Greek goalkeeper secure a clean sheet and a spot against Rangers that Saturday.
He had very little to do at Ibrox, but the Hoops came out on the losing side of a 1-0 scoreline. All of this came after it looked like Conor Hazard had claimed the number one jersey for himself after winning Celtic the Scottish Cup against Hearts.
But Kennedy has reaffirmed the club’s commitment to stick by Barkas. Indeed, it’s his plan to see the former AEK Athens man develop into a “top-class” shot-stopper.
As quoted by the Herald, Kennedy said: “Barkas came in with a very good reputation and we paid good money for him. We believe in him. We’ve seen it before with players coming to Scotland, that first period it can be difficult with the change in culture, change in demands.
“He was coming into a season with very intense pressure. We’ve had to manage that, but in terms of his future we certainly one we hope develops in to a top class keeper for us.”
Barkas has until the end of the season; Celtic bedding-in period is over
Kennedy certainly gets the bit right about us paying good money for him. Indeed, the Hoops splashed out a reported £4.5m (Scottish Sun) on the Greek in the summer. That’s a huge outlay for a Scottish club, and we’ve failed to see any real reward for it.
Barkas’ stats actually read better than some may think of course. He’s kept nine clean sheets in 19 games this season. In total, he’s let 19 goals slip through his grasp (Transfermarkt). Therefore, he’s averaging around a goal per game.
It’s not exactly disastrous, but it’s more the type of goals he’s been letting in. Make no mistake, Celtic have conceded some dreadful efforts this term. Barkas hasn’t looked too clever against the likes of Ferencvaros, St Mirren, Livingston, and AC Milan (x2). He’s struggled in several competitions.
But Celtic have now made their intentions clear here. They’re going all-in on their investment for the rest of the season. Barkas has until then to prove he’s capable of being the club’s number one goalkeeper.
If the second half of the campaign is as fraught with errors as the first, he’ll be out the sticks for next term. Celtic would need to invest in an alternative goalkeeper and move on from Barkas.
Yet for now, he’s been given a massive shot in the arm. His club is sticking by him despite a torrid first five months or so in Scotland. Hopefully, this can be the making of him.
In other news, a late-night report will have provided Celtic with a bit of relief yesterday.
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