Kasper Schmeichel already showing his value to Celtic as key metric is published online

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The signing of Kasper Schmeichel was one of the most important in Celtic’s transfer window this summer.

The retirement of Joe Hart meant that Brendan Rodgers had a tough job on his hands to replace the former English international not just for what he did on the pitch, but also off it.

Hart was a pivotal signing for Celtic as he took over from the disastrous spell of Vasilis Barkas in 2021. And the former Spurs man did a terrific job helping Ange Postecoglou reassert the Parkhead club as Scotland’s dominant force.

So in came Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo and, so far, the Dane has been a popular signing amongst the Celtic support.

Schmeichel’s passing stats the best at Celtic

Goalkeepers these days need to do so much more than just keep the ball out of the back of the net. Footwork and having the ball at their feet is now equally as important as making those precious point-blank saves.

And many people would agree that that just wasn’t Joe Hart’s strong point.

But for Schmeichel, his passing stats show just how important he has been to Celtic as the Denmark international tops the passing stats as the best passer in the Scottish Premiership so far this season.

Schmeichel’s importance to Celtic

The way Celtic setup means that goalkeepers play a huge role in setting up attacks from defence. Schmeichel has already shown at various points this season just how comfortable he is with the ball at his feet.

The Danish goalkeeper offers a calm head when Celtic is pressed high up the pitch and Schmeichel has also demonstrated just how important he is to the Hoops attack averaging 3.3 long balls per game as he looks to pressurise opponents in the counter and with his directness.

The 37-year-old has already proved to be a shrewd piece of business by Rodgers this summer and there is no doubt that he will be so important to Celtic as they look to progress in Europe this season.