£6.5m wasted: Celtic were rinsed dry by “awful” flop who had his contract terminated – opinion

The Hoops had a nightmare with their goalkeeper, whose contract was terminated.

Celtic will hunt for a new goalkeeper during the summer transfer window after Joe Hart announced his retirement at the conclusion of the season.

In the summer of 2021, Angel Postecoglou recruited the 36-year-old shot-stopper from Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal. He has been a valuable member of the club since then.

Hart started 72 of the club’s 76 Scottish Premiership matches between 2021/22 and 2022/23, helping the Hoops win the title in both seasons.

Celtic had much less success with the major flop the former England international replaced at Parkhead just under three years ago: Vasilis Barkas.

How much Celtic paid to sign Vasilis Barkas

In the summer of 2020, former Hoops manager Neil Lennon signed the shot-stopper from Greek side AEK Athens for a reported amount of £4.5 million, plus £1 million in annual salaries.

The deal did not go as planned for any of the parties involved, as Barkas was unable to secure a regular berth in the Scottish giants’ starting XI.

After starting nine of the club’s first ten Premiership matches, he spent 16 games on the bench and played only five more.

During the 2020/21 season, Scott Bain became Lennon’s primary goalkeeper, save 69% of shots on goal in 18 league games.

Barkas, rated as “awful” by analyst Frank McAvennie, only saved 60% of his goal attempts in 15 Premiership games, implying he was not competent enough to start over Bain.

In 2021/22, Celtic recruited Greek goalkeeper Hart, however he only played one league match, conceding one goal and making no saves.

How much Barkas cost Celtic in total

The Hoops loaned him out to Dutch side FC Utrecht for the 2022/23 season, and it is unclear how much they contributed to his salary.

Celtic saved £1 million last season, but still paid £2 million in wages to the left-footed flop for his first two years in Glasgow, in addition to the £4.5 million cost they paid AEK to recruit him in 2020.

In the summer of 2023, the Scottish giants terminated his contract one year early, allowing him to join Utrecht on a free transfer. The contract was originally signed until 2024.

This implies that Celtic received no compensation for Barkas when they parted ways with him permanently at the end of the 2022/23 season, as the Dutch club did not have to pay anything to recruit him.

As a result, Lennon had a nightmare with that deal, as the Greek behemoth drained the Hoops of at least £6.5 million – in transfer fees and salary combined – and failed to demonstrate his worth on the field before his contract was terminated prematurely.

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