Fraser Forster’s future looks a lot more up in the air now than it did 24 hours ago.
The player himself has just admitted that he would be open to returning to Parkhead permanently. He hinted that he would be willing to take a pay cut, and is also just glad to be somewhere where he’s now wanted (The Scotsman).
Forster had previously endured a torrid 12 months with Southampton. He found himself behind both Alex McCarthy and Angus Gunn in the pecking order. He’s already made 11 appearances since joining Celtic from Saints over the summer. Last year? He made only one solitary Premier League outing.
And Forster’s admission that he would be open to returning for good is a huge shot in the arm for Celtic. Beforehand, it didn’t look likely that we would be able to get a deal done for him.
A big part of that was down to how Forster would feel about it all. Would he just fancy staying here to get his match-sharpness up before heading back to the Premier League? Is he just putting himself back in the shop window?
It appears not. And that should lead to a ridiculously easy decision for Celtic to make in the summer.
Time to enquire about Fraser’s availability
Southampton simply don’t need Forster. Or, that’s what they’ll likely be thinking at least. If we can provide them with a decent offer for the England international, he could be ours again.
We haven’t had as good a goalkeeper as Forster at the club since he actually left in the first place. He’s proven to be a much more steady shot-stopper than Scott Bain or Craig Gordon respectively. Granted, Forster does have his blips from time-to-time. However, in terms of his overall ability, he trumps anything we currently have.
Forster’s deal at St Mary’s runs until 2022 (Transfermarkt). That leaves us in the unfortunate position of Saints not needing to sell. With a bit of luck, they would do Fraser a favour and let him come back up the road permanently for a decent enough fee. But Celtic can afford to splash out on him if necessary.
It would be a dream signing for the club to make. Forster doesn’t look as though he’s lost any of the attributes he previously had during his first spell with the club. His desire to stay here beyond the end of the season is massive for Celtic.
It would also save us scrambling around for a goalkeeper who can touch Forster’s quality. That would be a highly-difficult thing for us to do in the summer. It’s a headache we could do without.
So the potential for a deal to be done here is there. Forster is open to it, and Celtic must act on it.
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