Scotland international Leanne Crichton appeared on the latest edition of the BBC’s Sportsound podcast where she shared her thoughts on the news that Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster is not set to re-join Celtic for the 2020/21 campaign.
Forster joined the Hoops on loan from Southampton for the 2019/20 campaign. The former England international made 28 Scottish Premiership appearances for the club last season, keeping 14 clean sheets and conceding just 17 goals as he helped Celtic to win their ninth-straight Premiership title.
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As per the Scottish Sun, Celtic had been ‘very confident’ of bringing Forster to Parkhead on another season-long loan for the 2020/21 campaign, when the club are set to pursue what would be a 10th-straight Scottish Premiership title, however, after meeting with Ralph Hasenhuttl, the manager of his parent club, the 32-year-old ‘has decided not to return’.
Crichton shared her thoughts on the news that Forster is now not set to play for Celtic next season during her appearance on a recent edition of Sportsound.
She said: “I think it’s a huge blow for Celtic if he doesn’t return. What was the price they were talking [about], was it £8m or thereabouts? To sign him on a permanent deal?
“I just think, for Celtic, it’s such a gamble to lose that level of experience in a number one and a number two [Craig Gordon, who also recently departed from Celtic], there’s never a guarantee in goalkeeping that you will be able to replace that.”
Will Celtic be able to replace Fraser Forster?YES
NO
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TIF Thoughts…
No goalkeeper in Scotland’s top tier kept more clean sheets than Forster in the 2019/20 season and considering that Celtic won the title having conceded the joint-fewest number of goals in Scotland’s top-flight, it may be understandable why Crichton feels it’s “a huge blow” for the Hoops to be going into next season without Forster between the sticks.