Celtic have recruited very smartly during Ange Postecoglou’s time at the club and it has been one of the biggest reasons behind their success on the pitch. But the summer before the Australia’s arrival was a bit of a disaster for the Hoops. None of the signings that the club made in that window really worked out.
The best one was David Turnbull. And even the Scottish midfielder has barely featured this season and could be on his way out in the summer.
Vasilis Barkas is another player who was brought in in the summer of 2020, from AEK Athens for a transfer fee believed to be around €5 million. The hope was that he would be the long-term goalkeeper for the club.
Barkas struggled to make a mark for the next two seasons. And he was sent out on loan last summer to Dutch club, FC Utrecht. Interestingly, the Greek goalkeeper has done an excellent job in the Eredivisie and his future is now up in the air.
€5 million Celtic player seems to want Parkhead exit
As reported by HITC, Barkas told Utrecht TV:
"“It is always open, but it is not in my hands. I feel good here. My family is happy.“It would be an honour for me to play for FC Utrecht again.”"
Barkas has done an excellent job at FC Utrecht this season, and has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Eredivisie. Most importantly, he is back playing regular football, something that he was not doing at Celtic.
Thus, it is not hard to see why he might want to remain at FC Utrecht. The Dutch club are believed to have an option to buy included in the loan deal as well, but that figure might be a bit too steep for them.
Let’s see what the future holds for Barkas. But at this point of time, it is hard to see him being the Celtic first-choice goalkeeper one day. Could he complete a permanent exit in the summer?