Opinion: Celtic shouldn't sign new goalkeeper even if £4.5m star leaves

The Celtic first-team squad is always worth discussing, and one area that looks as if it will be intriguing in the summer is the goalkeeping department.

There is no doubt about who is the first choice goalkeeper at the club – the veteran Joe Hart, who has performed very well for the Bhoys since joining the club from Tottenham in the summer. 

The number two goalkeeper seems straightforward too – Scott Bain, who signed a new deal with the Hoops until 2024 last month, and seems set to be the first choice to start a game if Hart is injured.

The real intrigue is about the other goalkeepers in the squad. Conor Hazard, who didn’t feature at all for the first-team this season, is on loan at HJK Helsinki until next January, and you have to imagine that his time at the club is all but up.

Then there is Vasilis Barkas, who the Hoops reportedly paid £4.5m for, and seems highly unlikely to start another game for the Bhoys.

It seems likely that Celtic will try and move on Barkas this summer, as it would be the best thing for both parties, and the player will no doubt want regular football, and that doesn’t seem likely to happen at Celtic Park.

If both Barkas and Hazard depart the Hoops, that would leave Celtic with two goalkeepers in the first-team squad, which is not enough, as you usually need three, or indeed four, like Celtic had up until Hazard’s move to Helsinki. 

However, should the two goalkeepers move on eventually, the Hoops shouldn’t buy another goalkeeper. Instead, the club should promote from within when it comes to the new third choice goalkeeper.

An ideal candidate seems to be 18-year-old Tobi Oluwayemi, who is currently a player in the Celtic B squad. The player signed a new deal with the Hoops last year, and is under