Martin O’Neill has confirmed Celtic are actively searching for a new goalkeeper to challenge Viljami Sinisalo for the starting position this season.
The Finnish stopper, 24, established himself as first choice last term, playing a pivotal role in helping the club complete a famous Double after breaking into the side in January.
Sinisalo has since swapped his squad number from 12 to one, signalling his status as the presumptive first choice heading into the new campaign.
However, with only Ross Doohan as senior cover following Kasper Schmeichel’s retirement through injury, O’Neill is determined to add an experienced option between the sticks.
O’Neill said: “We need another goalkeeper. We’ve only got the two young lads, we’ve got Ross and we’ve got Sinisalo, so we definitely need another goalkeeper. You need competition for places as well.”
The Celtic boss was encouraged by Sinisalo’s performance against Sporting CP in Portugal, but the Hoops eventually slumped to a 4-1 defeat after Doohan replaced him and the floodgates opened.
O’Neill offered no guarantees Sinisalo would hold the position, suggesting the club could pursue a more experienced shotstopper similar to predecessors Schmeichel and Joe Hart.
He said: “That’s definitely a thought. I don’t want an older goalkeeper who thinks, ‘Well, I’m just going to be number two. I want somebody to be threatening.”
Elsewhere, O’Neill acknowledged that Polish centre-back Maik Nawrocki is likely to depart Parkhead this summer after a difficult spell at the club.
Brendan Rodgers paid £4.3 million to sign Nawrocki from Legia Warsaw in 2023, but his time in Glasgow has been plagued by injury and inconsistency since his arrival.
The 25-year-old impressed during a season-long loan with Hannover 96, registering six goal contributions from 18 appearances as the club narrowly missed out on Bundesliga promotion.
O’Neill said: “You don’t want to stop his momentum. I think he would want to stay and fight for his place here, but that’s going to be difficult.”
With Cameron Carter-Vickers, Dane Murray, Liam Scales and Auston Trusty all ahead of him, Nawrocki faces a significant battle to earn regular minutes if he remains at the club.
Attacking midfielder Michel-Ange Balikwisha is in a similarly precarious position after a wretched first year following his £5 million move from Royal Antwerp.
The Belgian started just three of his 14 appearances under three different managers and has so far failed to impress in pre-season friendlies against Shelbourne and Sporting CP.
Portuguese midfielder Paulo Bernardo, who joined on a £3.5 million permanent deal from Benfica two years ago, has also slipped down the pecking order behind McGregor, Arne Engels, Benjamin Nygren and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
O’Neill said: “Every single day during that time from January right through, he never moaned about anything, got on with it, trained hard. The same with Paulo, trained really hard.”
Despite their struggles, O’Neill insisted he is not rushing to move either player on, though he acknowledged their futures would depend on their ability to force their way into his plans.
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