Celtic Transfer Options - GK

Throughout this series, I’ll address positions that need strengthened at Celtic and give possible options who could come in and make an impact. 

As we know, Goalkeeper was definitely a problem position for Celtic throughout the 20/21 season. Today, we’ll take a look at 5 possible options who could come in and make the No. 1 shirt their own if Vasilis Barkas isn’t given another chance. 

Freddie Woodman - Celtic were linked with the Englishman not too long ago and it’s easy to see why. Woodman has impressed many on loan at Swansea City in the last two seasons from Newcastle. Before that, he even spent time in Scotland with Kilmarnock and Aberdeen so the 24 year old is no stranger to life north of the border. In his two years at Swansea, Woodman managed to rack up 94 appearances. In that time he’s kept 34 clean sheets and averaged 2.4 saves per 90. Woodman has also saved 5 of the 10 penalties he’s faced at Swansea, a stellar record. The 20/21 campaign though is where he’s really begun to step up his game, keeping 22 clean sheets in 51 games as Swansea reached the Championship play offs. As mentioned, Woodman is now 24 and may look to depart Newcastle permanently in order to find first team football. Celtic could certainly offer him this however with a reported price tag of £10 million for the 6”2 keeper, it may put the Hoops off. 

Zack Steffen - Yet another goalkeeper Celtic could look who plays his football in England is Zack Steffen. The 22 caped USMNT keeper signed for Man City in the summer of 2019 after impressive displays in the MLS. He was immediately loaned to Düsseldorf in Germany where he managed to keep only 2 clean sheets in 17 however his side did finish second bottom in the German top flight. In that season, Steffen averaged 3.8 saves per game, showing what he can do when called into action. The American also saved 1 of the 2 penalties he faced. I said Man City signed Steffen from the MLS after he caught the eye of many; his stats show why. The now 26 year old made a total of 84 appearances for Columbus Crew in the USA, keeping 26 clean sheets. He averaged 2.7 saves per match in this time. Overall, throughout his career Steffen has saved 6 of the 17 penalties he’s faced; that’s roughly a save for every 3 penalties he faces. Since arriving back from Düsseldorf to City, Steffen, especially this season, has been the back up keeper to Ederson. He’s made just 10 appearances across the Premier League, Champions League, EFL Cup and FA Cup this season. Similar to Woodman, Steffen may not be happy playing second fiddle to someone at 26, a part of his career where he needs game time. Considering Celtic and Ange Postecoglou’s links to the City Group, it’s not impossible to see how a deal could be worked out here. 

Joshua Griffiths - Griffiths spent the 20/21 season on loan from West Brom at Cheltenham Town and made 47 appearances for The Robins. It was his first season in professional football and the Englishman displayed his potential to all. The 19 year old kept 21 clean sheets in 47 games as Cheltenham won League Two and gained promotion to League One. Griffiths averaged two saves per match throughout the campaign as he relished the opportunity as Cheltenham’s No. 1. The youngster has a massive stature at 6”6 (transfermarkt) and is actually out of contract at the end of June. Getting Griffiths in for free would be a shrewd bit of business. However, last month, The Boot Room reported of Southampton’s interest in the England under 21 international so Celtic may have to move promptly. 

Dayne St. Clair - Dayne St. Clair is the second player to feature on this list who has relations to the MLS. The American top flight has been a breeding ground for young talent in recent years. Celtic even tried their hand in the market, bringing in Andrew Gutman and Manny Perez from Indiana Hoosier and NC State respectively but it would be interesting to see the Hoops endeavour once again. At 24, it may be concerning to hear that St. Clair only has 31 senior football appearances however some of his stats are comparatively admirable. St. Clair has saved every penalty he’s faced in his career with 3. Throughout his 30 appearances in all of America’s top 3 divisions, the Canadian international has averaged 2.9 saves per game playing for Forward Madison FC, San Antonio FC and now, Minnesota United. St. Clair was awarded a Canadian call up in February for their World Cup qualifiers and he made his debut for the national side against Aruba in a 7-0 victory. St. Clair’s contract with Minnesota is up at the end of 2021 so he could be available for a fraction of his £900,000 market value this summer. 

Arnaud Bodart - Bodart has been at Standard Liege in Belgium his whole career and a move abroad for a new challenge may tempt the 23 year old. His contract will still have 2 years left on it come the summer so Bodart may cost a sizeable fee but it may be one worth paying. Throughout the last 2 campaigns, Bodart has made a total of 75 appearances for Standard Liege, across the Jupiler Pro League and the Europa League. In his 75 games, Bodart has only kept 17 clean sheets but he has averaged 2.7 saves per match. The Belgian has also been capped at under 21 level by his country 3 times and stands at 6”1. In the league in the last 2 seasons, Bodart saved 3 out of the 6 penalties he faced however Standard Liege did concede 5 penalties in the Europa League in the 20/21 season and he didn’t save any of them. Bodart did impress in Standard Liege’s Europa League group stage games with Rangers so he’s already familiar to Celtic’s city rivals. If you wanted a foreign option, Bodart could be the man.