With the appointment of Ange Postecoglou completed, now the more difficult task begins for Celtic – rebuilding the squad so that they can challenge the Rangers for the Premiership title next season.
Steven Gerrard’s side won the league by a gap of 25 points last season. Thus, it goes without saying that the Hoops have their work cut out for them. And what happens in the summer transfer window will have a huge impact on how next season turns out for the club.
One area that Postecoglou could be looking to improve in is between the posts. Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain and Conor Hazard all got runs in the first-team last season but none of them managed to convince that they could be the long-term answer at goalkeeper. Thus, it would not be surprising if the club tried to sign a new number one this summer and one man who has been heavily linked with a Parkhead switch is Mat Ryan.
When Postecoglou was the Australian national team manager, Ryan was a regular for them. Thus, the two will know each other well. And Alex McLeish believes that he could be worth 15 points a season. As reported by Football Insider, he said:
"“When you get a goalkeeper of Ryan’s international class then you would be expecting him to be worth 15 points a season, if not even higher for someone world class.“He knows his way about the goals, he knows his way about the whole area. He’s a good positional goalkeeper. I don’t think he’s a giant but he is very athletic, or he has been in the years I’ve seen him.”"
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Ryan could be a brilliant signing for Celtic
It goes without saying that Ryan could be a brilliant signing for the Hoops. He has a lot of experience in Europe, having played for the likes of Valencia, Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, Club Brugge and Genk, through the course of his career and has also represented the Australian national team on 60 occasions.
Thus, his experience could surely play a huge factor and help him settle into Scottish football quickly if he was to move to Parkhead. Also, he is still 29 years of age, meaning he could the man between the posts for years to come if the club was able to sign him.
There is only a year left on his current deal with Brighton & Hove Albion and he is no longer the first choice for them. Thus, Ryan could very well be available for a bargain transfer fee this summer. And Celtic should definitely try to sign him.