Case for Liverpool’s Danny Ward at Celtic
By Nick McAdam
In any sport that involves some form of a goal to accumulate points, a goalie is needed.
Ideally, that keeper is the guy that a specific club always looks to bail the rest of the team out. Each goalie in the world is usually the last line of defense.
Most teams in the world of football prefer their keepers to be younger. The hope is that the manager and the team can develop the goalie into something of world class material in the future.
At the moment, Celtic don’t find themselves in that scenario. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as Craig Gordon has been solid ever since arriving from Sunderland years ago. Gordon has won a plethora of Scottish Premiership titles ever since arriving from Sunderland years ago.
Like most player investments, however, a club should always back up there starter with quality for the upcoming years. At the age of 34, Gordon only has so many good years left in him. Celtic need to start finding a long-term keeper to be ready for a potential downfall of Gordon.
It just so happens that the January window is approaching for the Bhoys. The winter break is coming up in the Premiership which gives Celtic time to assess their needs. Now is the best time to find that backup for Gordon in net.
Brendan Rodgers and the board have to give a look towards Liverpool’s Danny Ward. This wouldn’t be the first time Rodgers eyed the young Welsh. Several sources including The Sun claim that Rodgers inquired to the availability of Ward this past summer.
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"“The Wales star, 23, will be allowed to join Reds boss Jurgen Klopp’s pal David Wagner at the Terriers for the season. Celtic chief Brendan Rodgers also made a surprise inquiry.”"
The situation in net at Liverpool is a bit confusing. Jurgen Klopp elected to go with three keepers to start the season. Each goalie would feature in a different competition which would go against the idea of having a consistent starter in every league.
Rest was the key feature for Klopp, as Liverpool got bombarded with injuries the season before. Simon Mignolet started in the Premier League, Loris Karius featured in the group stages of the Champions League, and Ward played in the League Cup.
That ideology hasn’t exactly held up for Liverpool this season, which only hurt the playing time for Ward. Leicester City gave the Reds a surprise when eliminating Klopp’s men early in the League Cup by a score of 2-0.
No solid stat has been provided this season for Ward as the Leicester game was his only real performance. As a result, the 24-year-old has been stuck right in the middle of the transfer mill.
Even though Ward hasn’t been given as much of an opportunity with Liverpool, his stats with previous loan clubs suggest he could be Celtic’s guy in net for the future.
Ward was the starter as Huddersfield scraped through England’s Championship League. The side now do pretty well in the EPL, and credit has to be given to Ward for helping them there in the first place.
Aberdeen also contained the services of Ward who was again on loan from Liverpool. Danny didn’t shy away from the competition however. He posted over 10 clean sheets with Aberdeen in the 2015/16 season.
The best part with Celtic potentially signing Ward is his age. The Wales international is a solid ten years younger than Gordon, and could arguably put out the same performances from the Hoops’ number one.
The spark needs to be ignited with Ward. Celtic could desirably swoop in for Ward at a low asking price to win over his signature. With more playing time, Ward can be the keeper that all clubs, including Celtic, can look at to carry the club into the exciting years to come.
Next: Recent News: Extra transfer money; Compper medical
Would you be interested in the Celts signing Ward? If not, who could be the keeper to sign in order to give Gordon a backup? Let us know in the comments below.