Vasilis Barkas advises goalkeepers not to join Celtic

Celtic's goalkeeping situation has not been a settled one for a long time. It looked like they had found their long-term goalkeeper when they signed Vasilis Barkas from AEK Athens in the summer of 2020 for a transfer fee believed to be around €5 million. He had been a standout performer for his previous club and was a Greek international as well.

Unfortunately, things did not work out for Barkas at Celtic. He soon lost his position in the starting XI and never really won it back.

There were hopes that Barkas would get a second chance under the management of Ange Postecoglou. But after failing to impress in pre-season, Joe Hart was signed and has been the first-choice goalkeeper since then.

On the other hand, Barkas spent an impressive loan spell at FC Utrecht. He would then leave Celtic to join the Dutch club on a permanent basis. And he clearly was not impressed with his time in Glasgow.

Barkas advises goalkeepers not to join Celtic

As reported by Glasgow Times, Barkas said:

"Celtic are a huge club, but I wouldn't recommend to any goalkeeper to go there."

While Barkas never found success at Celtic Park, he has been very good during his time in the Eredivisie. And one has to wonder where it went all wrong at Parkhead.

Celtic still have not found their long-term solution between the posts. Hart has been the starter for the past three seasons but he will turn 37 years of age before the end of the campaign. And his current deal runs out in the summer as well.

Hopefully, Celtic will sign a long-term goalkeeper then. They have been linked with high-profile names like Andriy Lunin of Real Madrid and Caoimhin Kelleher of Liverpool, but both those moves feel unlikely. Never say never in football.

Let's see how things play out. While a signing looks unlikely this January, next summer will hopefully be a different story.