Big Boots To Fill at Celtic Park & Who May Fill Them

It has all been quiet, maybe a little too quiet at Celtic this summer. The Scottish Premiership champions needed a last day win to stop Hearts from taking the title after making the call to Martin O’Neill to save their season. A big summer was expected, and needed, as key figures in their second-half resurrection like Kasper Schmeichel and Julian Araujo have departed while previously exposed gaps in the squad remain.

Football betting sites are still keen to work in favour of the current holders but the betting odds certainly don’t put as much distance between them and their competitors as they used to with a weak summer potentially being the catalyst for an even worse campaign.

Replacing Kasper Schmeichel & Build Up Decisions

The Hoops have been in the market for a goalkeeper as their veteran shot-stopper called it a day and retired at the end of the last campaign. This is one area of strength for the team who went to Joe Hart and later Schmeichel as veterans to hold things down in the sticks.

They are going in a different direction this time as they’ve identified some European targets in this window. First was younger option Tjark Ernst from Hertha Berlin, the 23-year-old impressed in the German second division and should be available for a relatively decent fee. He is very accurate from long balls, better than when he’s trying to make more simple passes, and was one of the best among his peers for goals prevented in the previous campaign.

The other rumoured option is a totally different profile in Las Palmas shot-stopper Dinko Horas. The 27-year-old offers more experience than Ernst and is a more modern goalkeeper, having a great success rate when building up from the back, he had a solid save percentage but wasn’t at good at goal prevention stats.

This is one signing that could tell us a lot about Celtic’s summer plans. The two goalkeepers offer a slightly different profile with one being a more tired and true long balls and saves player, and the other being built for playing from the back and sweeping behind a high line. This is a pretty big decision to be made, but one that will alter how O’Neill sets up

More Big Exits To Prepare For

When it rains, it certainly pours. While not official yet there is a lot of talk around Celtic Park that they could enter the new season without Reo Hatate, Benjamin Nygren, Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, and potentially Callum McGregor. The entire core of the squad could see itself overhauled over the next few months. But, is this a needed change and will it be pulled off well?

The viable options to step in as the new starting goalkeeper indicate that those within the team are seeking out smart targets, decently priced players from ignored teams that have good underlying data. In a summer where big names are replaced, the Bhoys could be making a wholesale change to their tactical identity with fresh, intelligent signigns that finally address key issues within the squad.

One key example is links to Torino midfielder Gvidas Ginetis. The 22-year-old could replace one of the outgoing midfielders and allow O’Neill to establish a new winning core. Ginetis is versatile, capable of playing in midfield, defensive midfield, and on the wing with good chance creation numbers, ball carrying, and defensive contributions. He is an all around warrior that could bring something new to the middle of the park for a team that laboured to a championship at the last hurdle last season.

There are undoubtedly going to be some big boots to fill for the Scottish Champions this summer, but signings like Ginetis, Horas, or Ernst would help them rebuild for an even brighter future.

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