At long last, Celtic have the pleasure of a new permanent manager.
The Hoops can forget all about Eddie Howe and bask in the glory of Ange Postecoglou, a 55-year-old from Australia with lofty ambitions.
He wasn’t the hierarchy’s first choice at Parkhead but he arrives with a brand of football that fits perfectly into the Celtic philosophy.
After signing on the dotted line, Postecoglou was keen to stress the importance of the transfer market. “We have already begun work on our plans for adding to the squad – we aim to bring players of quality to Celtic to enhance the existing core of great talent,” he revealed.
Indeed, with the Bhoys set to lose Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard this summer, cracking on with recruitment is of utmost importance.
Strengthening their backline should be the biggest priority for the Australian. After all, they conceded 16 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership this season.
One of the biggest factors in their dismal defensive record was their goalkeeping department.
Vasilis Barkas signed for £4.5m last summer but made repeated errors and was then named in the starting XI on just two occasions after the New Year period.
Scott Bain has hardly been a pillar of solidity either. He was at fault for numerous goals away at Slavia Prague in the Europa League and should have done better for Alfredo Morelos’ strike in the Old Firm drubbing last month.
With that in mind, Celtic and Postecoglou should consider signing another stopper.
One player they were linked with last summer was Roma’s Robin Olsen. The Sweden number one eventually signed for Everton on loan but has now headed back to Italy after playing just 11 times for the Toffees.
Jose Mourinho doesn’t want to keep him in the Italian capital and with a £4m fee being touted, Olsen is hoping to use the European Championships as a shop window.
“Clearly it is a good showcase. I hope to have a good Euros, first of all for Sweden, then obviously if the tournament can help me showcase myself then so be it. With the work done in England I returned to the levels I was at before moving to Roma. I grew and improved, even if I clearly hoped to play more at Everton. In any case it was a good season,” Olsen commented recently.
Standing at 6 foot 5, the Swede has an enormous advantage in terms of his height. Celtic saw firsthand the positives of having a tall goalkeeper between the sticks when they had Fraser Forster at Parkhead.
The Englishman was a man-mountain at 6 foot 7 and was an imperious figure inside the penalty area. Forster was so impressive that he saved four penalties during the 2019/20 campaign and then made an awe-inspiring 11 saves in the League Cup final against Rangers.
In the words of SB Nation Roma blogger Chiesa Di Totti, Olsen has “massive limbs”, an outstanding quality that Celtic missed this term.
An experienced international at the age of 31, Postecoglou should certainly consider reviving the club’s interest. He has all of the tools that Forster had.