Celtic are reportedly interested in bringing Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vitek to Parkhead this summer as Martin O’Neill searches for his replacement for Kasper Schmeichel.
With Viljami Sinisalo recognised as Celtic’s number one, why is O’Neill interested in a goalkeeper younger than the Finnish international?
Vitek has already been a number one in Austria and the Championship. Those two loan spells explain why Celtic are now looking at the Manchester United goalkeeper.
💪 A 6 ft 2, varied defensive midfielder…
Mory Gbane looks like someone Celtic could do with 👀
Celtic target Radek Vitek had already proved himself in Austria
Vitek is more than just a young goalkeeper looking to make his way in the game. The Manchester United stopper already has vital first-team experience from two loan spells.
The first came at Austrian Bundesliga side Blau-Weiss Linz, where Vitek made 26 league appearances and kept six clean sheets.
Vitek helped the Austrians create history as they reached their highest-ever league position, securing a top-six finish.
However, it was at Bristol City where the Man United academy graduate came to the fore as he swept the awards at the Championship club.
Radek Vítek swept Bristol City’s awards before Celtic interest
After his spell at Blau-Weiss Linz, Vitek then moved on to Bristol City where he firmly established himself as the club’s number one goalkeeper.
With a full Championship season under his belt where he made 41 appearances and kept 12 clean sheets, Vitek swept the Player of the Year awards before returning to Old Trafford.
- Bristol City Player of the Year
- Young Player of the Year
- Players’ Player of the Year
More impressively, Vitek only joined Bristol City as cover for the injured Max O’Leary. But his form was so good he retained his spot to become one of the most important players in the first-team as they finished 12th in the Championship.
But it was Vitek’s stats while at Bristol that appear to have caught Celtic’s eye.
Vitek’s superb Bristol City stats that caught Celtic’s attention
At 22, Vitek has already made over 80 senior first-team appearances and it’s clear that made a big impact last season for Bristol City.
The numbers that completely stand out are:
- 134 saves
- 71.3% save percentage
- 12 clean sheets
- 5.36 goals prevented
- 46 high claims
- 30 sweeper actions
However, there are still areas of his game that Vitek still has to develop as there are some weak points the goalkeeper needs to sharpen up:
- Three errors leading to goals
- 61.9% passing accuracy
- 30.3% long-ball accuracy
His shot-stopping, command of his penalty area and willingness to sweep behind the defence explain the interest. Vitek would be arriving to challenge Sinisalo for Celtic’s number one shirt, not quietly wait behind him.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
