Celtic have a fantastic record in recent years when it comes to identifying the right players and then signing them. That has been one of the biggest reasons why they were able to recover from the bad position they found themselves in after the 2020/21 campaign and went on to win five of the six domestic trophies over the next two seasons.
That does not mean that Celtic have not gotten things wrong when it comes to transfers in recent years. In fact, that was one of the biggest reasons behind their terrible 2020/21 campaign, in which they finished trophyless and 25 points behind the Rangers in the league.
Vasilis Barkas was one of the marquee signings from the 2020 summer transfer window. The Greek goalkeeper was brought in from AEK Athens for a transfer fee believed to be around €5 million and the expectation was that he would be the number one between the posts for Celtic for years to come.
The reality proved to be quite different. Barkas failed to nail down a spot in the team, spent most of his time on the bench in his second season with the Hoops and was sent out on loan to FC Utrecht in the 2022/23 campaign.
€5 million Celtic flop joins Dutch club on free transfer
Barkas did quite well on loan at FC Utrecht and some fans had hoped that it would revive his Celtic career. But that was not to be and he became a free agent this summer, after he was released by the Hoops.
As tweeted out by Anthony Joseph, FC Utrecht have signed Barkas on a one-year contract. Let’s see how he does there this season.
On the other hand, Celtic remain in search of a long-term solution at goalkeeper. Joe Hart is the number one right now. He is 36 years of age though and fans have not been impressed with some of the Englishman’s recent performances.