Report: Australian outlet believe Mathew Ryan Olympic snub leaves him free for Celtic move

By Euan Davidson

June 25, 2021

Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan has been left out of the Socceroos’ Olympic squad, leaving him free for a move to Celtic.

That’s according to FTBL, a prominent Australian football outlet. The Ryan to Celtic rumours had some momentum as soon as Postecoglou was announced as Celtic boss. Given his situation at Brighton, and his history with the Bhoys manager, it made sense. Those rumours gained a grain of truth. talkSPORT claimed on the 11th of June that the Hoops were, indeed, interested in the stopper.

Ashley Maynard-Brewer and Tom Glover, two much younger goalkeepers, have been preferred by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold.

According to the report [FTBL]:

“Ryan’s absence from the July tournament paves the way for Celtic’s new Australian coach Postecoglou to secure a heavily-touted transfer for the 29-year-old in time for the Hoops’ upcoming friendlies.

“Celtic have already reportedly organised a contract package in preparations to offer Brighton between £3-5 million for the Socceroos’ goalkeeper.”

Trusted by Postecoglou from his time as the Australia boss, Ryan could be a long-term solution to Celtic’s goalkeeping problem. Vasilis Barkas, brought in last summer, failed to impress over a difficult 20-21. While it’s more likely the Greek keeper will be kept on, it doesn’t seem as if he’s a trusted first-choice, despite only signing last summer.

Celtic will still face competition, but can offer Mathew Ryan first-team minutes

Generally speaking, Celtic fans would be a lot more comfortable going into the season with a more established goalkeeper. Despite no longer being Brighton’s number 1, the former Valencia stopper remains a top talent. The fact that Arsenal came in for him, and that he was able to make 2.7 saves per 90 from 3 appearances suggests he still has Premier League talent.

Mathew Ryan of Brighton / (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

As a tactical fit, it also makes sense. Ryan’s short and long-range passing was accurate last season, hovering around the 80% completion mark [WhoScored?]. In terms of experience, he won the Asian Cup with Postecoglou in 2015, and he boasts an impressive clean sheet record across multiple leagues.

That includes a record of 30 shut-outs in 71 A-League matches, and 23 in 63 Belgian Jupiler Pro League outings. That’s seriously impressive form, and you can add 58 Australia caps to his credentials.

There have been some particularly interesting developments of late, too. Arsenal have seemingly turned their attentions to Sheffield United stopper Aaron Ramsdale [Sun], while the Argus claims that Brighton are looking to offload the goalkeeper in the summer window.

We’ve said before; if there’s a chance for Celtic to get this done, it’s more than worth pursuing. And now Australian outlets are claiming that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

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