Major twist in Fraser Forster to Celtic transfer saga

After news broke yesterday that goalkeeper Fraser Forster was wanting to remain with Southampton vice Celtic, a new twist has presented itself.

After a year of incredible goalkeeping for Celtic, Fraser Forster is wanted back by Celtic fans as the club enters the season of 10-in-a-row. While things were looking bright for a possible reunion or extension of his loan, news broke yesterday that put a bit of a damper on expectations.

Forster was said to be wanting to remain with English Premiere League side Southampton, the goalkeeper’s parent club. Due to the uncertainty at the club he was offered a chance to compete for first team minutes despite being the third choice a year ago. This put a halt to Forster returning to the Hoops talk for what seemed like only a couple of minutes.

That news came across as Forster prioritizing playing time for an EPL club over pursuing history with Celtic. It seemed distinctly uncharacteristic of Fraser who had expressed interest in a long term deal with Neil Lennon’s side near the end of the season.

Now, The Sun has reported that the possibility of a Fraser return is not out of the cards, but it will be much more difficult for the Scottish Champions to make it happen. The goalkeeper is amenable to a return, but he wants a permanent deal rather than being sent on loan.

This puts the ball in Celtic’s court but the asking price for Fraser by Southampton is unclear. As with smaller clubs across the Europe, Southampton are in some financial straits as COVID-19 has hit revenues hard. It is possible that the Hoops could secure Forster on a club-friendly deal, but that still leaves the wages to be answered for.

Forster is currently on £70k per week wages, and it has been reported by The Daily Record that Celtic was already paying £40k of that during Fraser’s loan stint. The big man would have to take a pay-cut in order to secure a permanent move to Celtic. Perhaps somewhere in the £50k/week range could be feasible.

This move isn’t impossible, but it will take Southampton willing to cut a deal, Forster willing to take a pay-cut, and Celtic willing to dish out the cash necessary to see the deal go through.