It is no secret that Celtic will soon be in the market for a goalkeeper. Joe Hart is not getting any younger and his current contract at Parkhead expires at the end of the season.
Several ‘keepers have been linked with moves to Glasgow over the past few weeks, one of those being Vaclav Hladky. The Czech stopper is the starting man between the sticks for English Championship impressors Ipswich Town having had a year-and-a-half spell in Scotland with St. Mirren between 2019 and 2020.
He is nearing the end of his contract at Portman Road, and before a clash with Stoke at the weekend in which he was named man-of-the-match, Hladky was asked about the Celtic links: “It’s nice”, he said (East Anglian Daily Times). “It’s good to hear it and listen, I’m just going to carry on and I want to push more. I believe there is a lot more to deliver and it’s great to be in that position. My focus is just on Stoke – that’s all that I can say now.”
When he was previously in Scotland, Hladky did impress. His performances were enough to see him linked with a move to the champions just before the signing of Vasilis Barkas.
At 33, Hladky is no spring chicken but it is a known fact that ‘keepers do tend to last longer than outfield players. He isn’t 34 until November and is three years younger than Hart.
His comments make for intriguing reading and the longer Hladky goes without renewing his Ipswich deal, the more intense the Celtic links will become.
