Bad news for Hart: Celtic eye up swoop for “exceptional” £10k-p/w Titan

This month, the Hoops are reportedly interested in signing the Premier League shot-stopper.

Celtic have been linked with a Premier League shot-stopper as Brendan Rodgers looks to improve his playing squad this month.

Celtic’s Search for a Long-Term Keeper
According to The Scottish Sun, the Northern Irish manager is looking to sign Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool and wants the Ireland international to move to Glasgow.
According to the report, the Hoops manager has long admired the Reds youngster and sees him as his future No. 1 at Parkhead.

However, the outlet adds that a move is unlikely to take place this month and that a summer transfer is more likely, with Jurgen Klopp’s side considering Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson as a possible replacement.

This could be bad news for Joe Hart, especially if Celtic sign Kelleher this month, as the former England international’s contract is set to expire in the summer.
Joe Hart’s European struggle
The veteran custodian struggled for the Bhoys in the Champions League this season and last, with poor shot-stopping abilities.

Hart allowed 1.7 more goals than the average custodian would have given up based on the post-shot Expected Goals (xG) value of the efforts against him.
That was also true for the 36-year-old custodian during the 2022/23 season, when he conceded 15 goals with a post-shot xG of 13.3 for the Hoops.

Hart is currently ranked in the bottom 14% of Champions League goalkeepers this season in terms of post-shot xG faced minus goals allowed per 90 (minus 0.28). He also ranks in the bottom 20% for percentage of crosses stopped, with 1.2%.
Why Kelleher could be an upgrade over Hart.

Kelleher’s arrival could be bad news for Hart due to his age and ability, as the talented youngster has shown a lot of promise for the Reds.

In ten Premier League appearances for Liverpool, the £10k-per-week titan has only conceded 0.5 more goals than expected based on post-shot xG.

His performances for the English club during their League Cup victory in the 2021/22 season were particularly impressive. He saved 84% of the shots he faced and averaged 2.0 successful run-outs per match over four appearances.
Meanwhile, Hart has never averaged a higher than 73% save percentage in a Scottish Premiership season, nor has he ever averaged more than 0.3 successful run-outs per game.

These statistics indicate that the Ireland international has the potential to replace Hart as an upgrade due to his shot-stopping ability and willingness to sweep up behind his defence to allow for a high line, if he can maintain consistency and adapt to Scottish football.
Kelleher, once hailed as “exceptional” by Klopp, is also 11 years younger than the English colossus and could be Celtic’s long-term number one going forward.

The club’s active interest in the Liverpool ace is therefore bad news for the veteran ahead of his contract expiring in the summer, as it suggests that Rodgers is considering life after Hart, which does not bode well for his chances of remaining first-choice at Parkhead for much longer.

in other news, Fabrizio Romano provides an update on Celtic’s expected departure.