Former Celtic right-back and now pundit Mark Wilson has insisted that Celtic’s recruitment team have their work cut out in trying to find a replacement for Joe Hart.
The veteran ‘keeper announced on Thursday that he will be hanging up his gloves at the end of the season in a message that admittedly came somewhat out of the blue but, on the whole, was expected.
He will be a significant miss not just on the park but in the dressing room, too. The Englishman has bailed his team out in the past few weeks and behind the scenes, Hart is a significant presence and an undoubted leader in the squad.
Losing his experience and ability will be a blow for the Celts, and Wilson has warned those in charge of recruitment that his attributes will be difficult to replace: “It’s a hard one to get”, he said (Clyde 1 Superscoreboard via Football Scotland).
“If Celtic’s recruitment department thought they were under pressure with left-backs, strikers and midfielders, they’ve probably got the biggest of them all.
“Because goalkeeper just sets the tone for your team. If you’ve not got a solid goalkeeper behind your back four then the rest falls down.”
Celtic have a wealth of time to weigh up several goalkeeping options and sign a competent one. The funds are there to do so, and fans don’t want to go into the first game of 2024/25 with Scott Bain or Benjamin Siegrist between the sticks.
