3 goalkeepers Celtic should target if they can’t get Forster

Here are three goalkeepers that Celtic should target in the transfer market if they fail to sign Fraser Forster on a permanent basis from Southampton.

You’d have to go a long way to find a Celtic fan who wasn’t desperate for the club to sign Fraser Forster to be the secure wall at the back for ten-in-a-row season. But if that doesn’t work out, what are the options the club could pursue for this vital position?

The latest news on Forster seems to vary from day to day and even hour by hour.  The fee seems to be around £10m. That’s a huge record breaking sum, but it’d be paid to break a record of league wins, and it’s not out of the question, especially if it secures him for several more seasons. But there are wages to sort, other clubs to get in front of for signatures. So let’s look at some alternatives the club could be considering.

Before doing so let’s make some quick and basic assumptions.

One being that Craig Gordon and Scott Bain, while both have been great between the posts for the hoops, aren’t in the picture for the No1 keeper position. We wouldn’t have had Forster on loan last season if that’s the case. We may need further cover if Gordon moves to St Mirren or elsewhere now his contract has expired, but we’re looking here at who will be top dog.

The second being that Claudio Bravo may or may not be of interest, he may be, as claimed,  the best goalkeeper in South America.  We’ve already reported on Bravo as a possibility, so we’ll look at new alternatives here.

We’re also going to look beyond the Scottish leagues. Mark Gillespie who has just left Motherwell, Joe Lewis at Aberdeen and Vaclav Hladky just moving out from St Mirren. All possibles in the same sort of Scott Bain level. They’d do decent jobs, but Celtic need bigger heads and hands for this vital season.

Jack Butland

Butland made early headlines as the youngest ever England keeper when capped at just 19 back in 2012. That shows lots of promise, though he maybe lost his way following an injury while on England duty against Germany in March 2016. It was almost a year later before he got back into first team action in 2017.

Now he’s playing for Stoke City in the championship and turning in some great, but importantly regular performances. He’s got 1 year left on his contract and likely to be looking to move at some point.

Fee wise, it’s anyone’s guess currently but somewhere around £5m-£7m may be likely.  Wages may be an issue in comparison with what some other clubs down south could offer. But a chance to play in Europe for a high profile club could enhance his reputation significantly again too.

An ex England keeper who has showed terrific form, lost his place and missed a lot of games as a result, but now getting back to the top form that saw him capped originally. Why does that sound familiar?