It looks like Brendan Rodgers has now started to get the wheels in motion after new Celtic signing, Viljami Sinisalo was spotted boarding an aeroplane to head to the USA this afternoon.
At the time of writing, Sinisalo is yet to be announced officially by Celtic but as we discussed earlier, the Finnish international was pictured boarding a flight to the US with the rest of the Hoops squad.
And as the Celtic fans cannot wait to see the 22-year-old in action for the first time, what can they expect from the new addition to the team?
To give an insight, here is what former Celtic defender, Gary Caldwell, said about Sinisalo as he managed the youngster through his loan spell at Exeter City last season.
Caldwell predicts an ‘incredible career’ for new Bhoy
After signing up with the League One outfit on loan, Caldwell immediately praised Sinisalo for his professionalism and pointed out that he is set to have a great career ahead of him.
Caldwell said [Exeter City], “He comes with experience of league football at this level, as well as in Scotland and Finland, and he’s played for his national team, so we are really excited to have him.
“He’s ready, he’s trained and he’s up to speed and he already has a feel for the club. He turned up at half-five at a gym at Newton Abbot and he was the first one there, after cancelling his holiday.
“I think that tells you everything you need to know about Vil, and I’m sure he’ll go on to have an incredible career.”
Clearly eager to impress, it seems Sinisalo’s hard work paid off as he made 50 appearances for the League One side that season.
Sinisalo’s ‘outstanding’ close season verdict
When Caldwell announced his player retention list for Exeter at the end of last season, he hailed the young Finnish ‘keeper for his ‘outstanding’ form as he kept a ‘great signing’ out of the team.
Caldwell said, “Gary [Woods] was a great signing at the time as we needed cover and someone to push Jamal Blackman.
“He did that and got into the team and had some really good moments.
“This year he faced real competition from Vil Sinisalo who was outstanding, but Gary was always there to support Vil and was great for Shaun MacDonald and Harry Lee and he was a great character in the dressing room.”
So it seems that Celtic are getting an incredibly hardworking goalkeeper who is eager to learn and who also gained the respect of his former teammates during his time on loan.
Sinisalo kept 14 clean sheets whilst on loan at Exeter and for £1m, it seems that Celtic are getting not only a bargain but a top professional at such a young age to boot.
The fans will be eager to see how he fits into the Celtic team but after these comments from Caldwell, it seems that slotting into this current Hoops team won’t be a problem for this youngster.
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