Celtic flop refuses to move forward

For reasons that only he will understand Vasilas Barkas has delivered a stinging criticism of all things Celtic. 

Two years ago the AEK Athens keeper was signed up on a four year contract after a move to bring back Fraser Forster from Southampton fell through. 

Signing an international goalkeeper with experience of playing in the Champions League should have been a solid move for the dominant club in Scottish football but things quickly unraveled. 

Barkas wasn’t especially at fault as Celtic lost to Ferencvaros in a Champions League qualifier but there was a definite feeling that Forster would have stooped at least one of the goals conceded. 

Things didn’t get much better after that even though Celtic enjoyed an eight match winning run. By autumn the wheels fell off Celtic’s season with Barkas rotating with Scott Bain and Conor Hazard as the season ended trophyless. 

Barkas made just two appearances under Ange Postecoglou last season before slipping into the shadows. 

Moving out on loan to Utrecht gave him the opportunity of a fresh star but for his own reasons he has decided to pin all of the blame for his Celtic miseries on the club. 

Picking up on an interview published in Greece, the Daily Record reports Barkas saying: 

I regretted that decision because things didn’t turn out the way I thought they would but you can’t know beforehand. What saddens me is that some money was spent on me and I didn’t feel the investment. 

I didn’t feel I was an important part of the team. But it may not even be the team’s fault. It was a C**id year, everything was different. 

The first six months I didn’t know my teammates, we were in different locker rooms. Celtic is a huge club, but I wouldn’t recommend a goalkeeper to come here 

The events of 20/21 are best left undisturbed, certainly Celtic have moved on. At the age of 28 Barkas has the best years of his career ahead of him, getting over the miseries of his first season at Celtic would be a wise move.