Benjamin Siegrist asked about Celtic speculation; ready for "next step"

By David Walton

May 25, 2021

Talented Dundee United goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist has admitted that he’s ready for the step-up when asked about speculation linking him with Celtic.

Back in January, it was reported by Swiss outlet Blick that Celtic had been scouting Siegrist for some time. The 29-year-old shot-stopper’s contract is currently up in the summer of 2022 [Transfermarkt].

Celtic have had their goalkeeping problems this season with the poor performances of Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain in partocular. Meanwhile, Siegrist has been a standout against us on two separate occasions at Tannadice.

And as the summer rolls around, Siegrist again made it clear he’s ready to move on. When asked by Blick about the potential interest from Celtic, he simply claimed that he’ll look at anything concrete from the Bhoys.

“If there is interest (from Celtic), I’ll take a close look. I don’t want to force a change, but I am already aiming for the next step in my career.”

Benjamin Siegrist to Celtic would be a shrewd acquisition

Siegrist has shone with United in the top flight. He’s managed 11 clean sheets in his debut campaign in the top flight. And let’s not forget that United were promoted from the Championship only last season. He has an exceptional record in between the sticks for a promoted club.

Back in January, the likes of Schalke, CSKA Moscow, and clubs from Holland were said to be interested [Blick]. However, fast forward a few months and there have been no offers ahead of the summer transfer window.

In the past, however, we’ve been too guilty of overcomplicating the goalkeeping position. Siegrist has proven he can be a star in the Scottish Premiership. He’s put in impressive performances against both Celtic and Rangers this season too. Sure he’s a late bloomer, but he’s a good goalkeeper. The latter is all that matters.

Benjamin Siegrist denies Alfredo Morelos (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The Sun believes that Siegrist can be snapped up for only £400k. It looks clear that he’s an upgrade on Bain at least. Whether Celtic will want to persist with Barkas remains to be seen, but signing the Utd man wouldn’t stop them from doing that.

He’s available and at a bargain price. This would be a deal that comes with such a low level of risk too. Celtic could do a lot worse and have done a lot worse in the goalkeeping position in recent years.

It’s clear Siegrist would be interested in a role at Parkhead if offered. It remains to be seen whether the new manager wants to make a move.

In other news, a PSG talent linked with Celtic in 2020 is reportedly to be allowed to leave.