A lot has been made of Joe Hart's future at Celtic in recent times. The Englishman arrived at Parkhead in the summer of 2021 from Tottenham Hotspur. Many fans had raised their eyebrows at the decision to sign him. After all, the Manchester City legend had not been a first-choice goalkeeper for a few years at that point.
Hart did prove a lot of doubters wrong after joining Celtic. He established himself as the number one in Ange Postecoglou's team immediately, performing well between the posts and also proving himself as a leader in a relatively experienced squad.
Hart will be 37 years of age before this season comes to an end though and his performance levels have dipped this season. Thus, there is a need to find a long-term successor to him as soon as possible.
Celtic have been linked with a few goalkeepers in recent times. But there do not seem to be any plans in place to replace Hart in the starting XI this month, as the Hoops appear to have other priorities.
Celtic boss publicly confirms goalkeeper transfer plan
As reported by Football Scotland, Brendan Rodgers said while talking about Hart:
"It’s not something that we’re looking at just now. There are other areas we have to look at first.
“There will be positions in the summer we’ll be able to improve on and it’s the same in January. But I love working with Joe, he’s a great guy. Hopefully he continues. We haven’t spoken about it. At that age, I think he’s just happy to be playing. Joe’s family is down south so he has shown incredible commitment to be up here."
So, it looks like Hart signing a new contract at Celtic is not outside the realm of possibility either. His current deal is set to run out at the end of this season.
The fans will be hoping that a new number one is brought in soon though. Hart is a great veteran to have around. But at the same time, his days as a first-choice goalkeeper are numbered.
Celtic have been linked with plenty of goalkeepers lately. The latest name is that of Vaclav Hladky of Ipswich Town. On the other hand, Andriy Lunin and Caoimhin Kelleher are the two most high-profile ones.