Pundit tips Celtic to make shock January transfer move

Celtic have been told to make a shock January move for the goalkeeper after the recent struggles of Scott Bain and Vasilis Barkas.

One position that has been a significant weakness for Celtic this season is goalkeeper. When Fraser Forster reportedly refused to return to the club in the summer after a strong season on loan, the board was left scrambling for options.

Vasilis Barkas was the man that they ultimately bet on, signing him from €5 million from AEK Athens. Till now, that bet has not paid off as the Greek international has failed to make the position his own.

Scott Bain has started the last few games for the club. But he has never looked like a man who can be a first-team star for the club. As a result, the Hoops might be forced to dip into the transfer market in January for another keep, even if it is a short-term fix.

While the name of Fraser Forster has done the rounds for a few weeks now, Alex McLeish believes that the club should aim to complete an ambitious move for Manchester United’s Dean Henderson.

Speaking with Football Insider, the former Scotland national manager said:

"“Yeah, he’s quite special. From the footage I saw of him from the whole of last season he was at a fabulous level.“His team actually had a great season built on the back of some fantastic work by him. That’s what they say about a goalkeeper, they can save you, a good club goalie, 10 points a season, an international goalie 15 points a season, a world-class goalie, 20-odd points a season.“These are the numbers that these goalkeepers, along with the coaches, strive to make and that, for me, would be a very strong statement.”"

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There is no doubting the quality of Henderson. He spent two very impressive seasons on loan at Sheffield United and established himself as one of the best keepers in the Premier League. But, he has failed to get much playing time since returning to Old Trafford due to the resurgence of David de Gea. Thus, a move away on loan in January would make a lot of sense.

On the other hand, Celtic will make a major coup if they manage to end up signing the Manchester United keeper on loan till the end of the season. Obviously it will be a short-term fix but they will not have to worry about the position till next season. Of course, his salary will be a huge issue but one would hope that the Premier League giants would not have a problem paying most of that.

There is still a month left till the transfer window reopens though and if either Barkas or Bain manage to impress in that period of time, then the club might not even need to look for a new keeper. Fingers crossed.