The Celtic goalkeeper hunt has dominated the headlines this window and supporters are desperate to find out who will replace Joe Hart between the sticks.
Sparta Prague’s Peter Vindahl Jensen and Martin Dubravka have both been cited as potential targets; however, speculation is still flying around on that front, and fans are no closer to knowing definitively.
Last week, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers fielded questions on potential transfer activity and was asked by one reporter about veteran Denmark stopper Kasper Schmeichel, who he worked with at Leicester City.
When prompted, he replied: “Kasper’s a very, very good one. I know Kasper very well. But there are lots of names. and clearly I’m not going to tell you who those names are.”
Provoking a coy reaction, the Irishman didn’t exactly rule it out despite no reported links. Whether there is anything more to the situation remains to be discovered; nevertheless, his profile is an intriguing one to evaluate.
Kasper Schmeichel and the Celtic goalkeeper quest
Schmeichel is a free agent after leaving Anderlecht at the end of last campaign, where he made 32 appearances last term, keeping eight clean sheets [Transfermarkt].
In many ways, he has the experience required to replace Hart between the sticks, having won 105 caps for Denmark and featured over 280 times in the Premier League. Familiarity also works in his favour amid his fruitful relationship with Rodgers, so there are plenty of boxes ticked in the short term.
Saying that, he is now 37, the same age as Hart was when he retired during the summer. On balance, he would maybe be able to fill the void for a year or two at most before Celtic ended up back in the same position of needing to find a new gloveman.
There is a trade-off to be had here. You either acknowledge that not every position fits the buy-in, develop and sell on for considerable money model, or club chiefs instead look for someone with a more youthful complexion to take the reigns.
The club have lost know-how between the sticks; that much is apparent, but there is other ways of going about replenishing these qualities that don’t involve essentially kicking the can down the road.
Of course, that would be doing Schmeichel’s evident quality a disservice; he has achieved things in football that few can lay claim to; nevertheless, you get my drift.
I think now, a lot of Celtic supporters just want to see movement on the goalkeeper front. With less than a month until the start of the Scottish Premiership campaign, the lack of clarity is unsettling, and the need for answers is growing louder with every passing day.
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