Report: Celtic call time on Vasilis Barkas debacle

By John McGinley

November 19, 2021

Celtic will look to sell or loan Vasilis Barkas in the upcoming January transfer window, The Athletic has reported today.

The outlet cites a Greek source who suggests that the Bhoys will try to move him out of the club on a permanent basis in the new year. If that doesn’t materialise, a loan move will be considered.

Barkas arrived in the summer of 2020 as one of Neil Lennon’s main signings of the transfer window. He was billed as the replacement for Fraser Forster after the big goalkeeper decided to stay at Southampton.

With impressive form at AEK and appearances for the Greek national team behind him, there was a bit of hype about his arrival.

However, the prospective number one simply failed to settle as part of the Celtic team and it quickly became apparent he was unlikely to make it in Glasgow.

A debate has raged since whether that was the fault of the player himself, or simply the unfortunate circumstances of moving to Scotland in the midst of a global pandemic. Either way, he hasn’t been good enough.

Lennon experimented with Scott Bain and Conor Hazard as a result of the goalkeeper’s difficult start, but neither of them really impressed either.

Ange Postecoglou was forced to address the problem this summer, bringing in the experienced Joe Hart to steady the ship and give Celtic a genuinely reliable shot-stopper.

The Australian has consistently selected Bain in match squads as Hart’s deputy since the summer. Even youngster Tobi Oluwayemi has started appearing on Europa League trips ahead of the Greek.

It now seems that Celtic will call time on the Barkas experiment and attempt to put to bed one of the biggest transfer debacles in recent memory at the club.

In other news, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou set for must-watch appearance on popular YouTube channel.