Fabrizio Romano confirms bad transfer news for Celtic

Celtic's search for Joe Hart's replacement has seen them being linked with a long list of goalkeepers in recent months. It remains to be seen who the club will ultimately end up signing. The Englishman had been their first-choice between the posts since his arrival in the summer of 2021 from Tottenham Hotspur.

Most fans had not been impressed with the decision to sign Hart back then and believed he was well past his prime and no longer good enough to start for Celtic. The English goalkeeper went on to play a key part in seven title wins over the next three years before retiring.

Celtic have a tough task when it comes to finding a replacement for Hart. Not only do they need to find someone with top quality but also a player who has experience and is a leader. That is a rare combination.

Koen Casteels is someone who appeared to tick a lot of the boxes that Celtic were looking for. But it looks like he is headed elsewhere.

Fabrizio Romano confirms bad transfer news for Celtic

As tweeted by Fabrizio Romano, Casteels has signed as a new Al Qadsiah player. The contract was completed and signed today.

Casteels is 31 years of age, has played at the Bundesliga level for years, was available as a free agent this summer and is set to represent the Belgian national team at the upcoming EUROs. All things considered, he could have been the perfect signing for Celtic. But it was not to be.

Celtic will now move their sights elsewhere. There are quite a few goalkeeping options around when you consider the number of players the Hoops have been linked with lately. Hopefully, they will get the recruitment right and bring in someone who is ready to be the club's number one from the off.