Vasilios Barkas makes bizarre admission amidst Celtic links

With Celtic edging closer to signing the Greek goalkeeper, Vasilios Barkas has made a confession that can only be considered bizarre.

After the move for Fraser Forster appeared dead in the water, Celtic quickly turned their attention towards Vasilios Barkas. The 26-year-old has impressed playing for AEK Athens in the Greek Super League and has already made 10 appearances for the Greece national side. As a result, if the Hoops do manage to sign him, the fans can rest assured that they are getting someone with genuine pedigree.

Firstly, on top of AEK Athens the Greek Super League also constitutes of the likes of Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and PAOK. Thus, it is clearly super competitive which means Barkas already has experience playing at a high level. As a result, his 16 clean sheets in 33 appearances in all competitions last season is very respectable.

Secondly, he stands at an incredible 6′ 5″, which means that he will be a commanding presence in the box. And his age means that he will be a much shrewder investment than the 32-year-old Fraser Forster.

As far as goalkeepers go, Celtic could do much worse than signing Barkas. But it appears that the Greek does not enjoy playing the position much himself. As reported by the Daily Record, he said:

"“I don’t like playing as a goalkeeper. It’s not fun to play in that position.“If I had the choice I would play as a defender or as a midfielder. In fact, when I am training with Greece, I play left back in the practice sessions.“I actually became a goalkeeper by mistake. I went for trials in Kolonos when I was a kid and the coach put me in goal because he had enough players, even though I was short then.“The pitch was a dirt surface and had no grass. I came back covered in cuts and bruises. But from there I got spotted and went to Atromitos for trials and I continued from there.”"

Well he might have his bizarre training methods but he is without doubt a top goalkeeper. Celtic have reportedly made a £5 million bid for him and personal terms have already been agreed. So let’s hope that they can take this deal over the line as soon as possible.