Lennon had a problem with a £4.5 million Hoops signing who then left for £0.
The former Hoops titan struggled while playing for the Scottish giants.
Joe Hart, the custodian for Celtic, received criticism for his lacklustre performance against Feyenoord in the first match of the Champions League group stage.
Calvin Stengs’ free kick bounced up in front of the former England international before it went into the goal, but he was unable to save it.
Thierry Henry, a former player for Arsenal and France, declared live on CBS that Hart “should never” have allowed that shot to beat him and suggested the English goalie should have done better to block it.
Despite making a mistake in the Netherlands, the former Manchester City star has been a great acquisition for the team since he joined in 2021, following a major nightmare with their previous custodian, Vasilis Barkas.
What did Celtic spend on Vasilis Barkas?
The Greek custodian was purportedly signed by the Hoops from AEK in the summer of 2020 for a hefty amount of £4.5 million, but manager Neil Lennon’s decision to do so was disastrous.
As you can see from the table above, Celtic chose to buy Barkas ahead of the 2020–21 season and paid a club record sum for a custodian.
Exactly why did Celtic sign Barkas?
Lennon trusted the thoughts of his staff members as well as the proof of the AEK star’s accomplishments in his native nation because goalkeeping coach for the Hoops, Stevie Woods, apparently had great admiration for the athlete.
The 29-year-old loser began his career with Atromitos Athens and made 21 first-team appearances while maintaining 11 clean sheets to earn a transfer to AEK in 2016.
As you can see from the above table, Celtic made the decision to acquire Barkas prior to the 2020–21 campaign and shelled out a club record price for a keeper.
Why did Celtic choose to sign Barkas?
Lennon put his faith in the opinions of his staff and the evidence of the AEK star’s success in his home country because the goalkeeping coach for the Hoops, Stevie Woods, reportedly had a lot of respect for the athlete.
The 29-year-old loser started his career with Atromitos Athens, making 21 appearances for the first squad, and kept 11 clean sheets to win a transfer to AEK in 2016.
However, there were some red flags for Celtic because of his underwhelming performances in the Champions League throughout the 2018–19 campaign.
In six games, he had an overall Sofascore rating of 6.65, although he only successfully stopped 68% of shots on goal and made one mistake that directly contributed to goals.
Lennon could have used these performances as a benchmark for how he would make the transition to life in Scotland with the Bhoys, but the AEK giant only completed 54% of his attempted passes in the competition that term.
For Celtic, how did Barkas perform?
In comparison to other goalkeepers in the club’s history, he was brought in for a hefty fee, but he fell short of the expectations that came with it.
In his debut season in Scotland, Barkas struggled to consistently put up strong performances in the Scottish Premiership, hence he was not a standout performer for Celtic.
In 15 league games under Neil Lennon, the left-footed flop had a Sofascore rating of 6.79 and had a save percentage of 60%, failing to help the Hoops win the championship before their neighbours.
His average Sofascore rating in the Premiership that season was more than 23, indicating that he was not among the club’s top players.
He also struggled in the Europa League, where Barkas played both of the team’s games against Italian powerhouse AC Milan while earning a £4.5 million transfer from AEK, where pundit Frank McAvennie referred to him as “awful.” Barkas averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 5.6 and stopped 30% of the shots against him over the two games.
How much money was paid to Celtic for Barkas?
The Hoops decided to release him from his contract earlier this summer, which was set to expire in 2024, therefore they did not get any of the initial £4.5m they paid for his services.
As a result, three years after making his high-profile transfer from AEK to Celtic, Barkas left the club for nothing. As a result, Lennon had nightmares about signing the Greek shot-stopper since he struggled on the pitch and cost the team a lot of money.
However, Ange Postecoglou joined in the summer of 2021 and made a brilliant move to bring in Hart from Tottenham Hotspur, where the English behemoth had a fantastic first season with the Scottish giants.
How many Premiership clean sheets did Hart maintain in the 2021–2022 season?
In 35 Premiership games during his first season with the Bhoys, the former Manchester City player preserved 19 clean sheets while averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.95.
With his ability to keep the ball out of the net and his average performance level, Hart was a clear improvement over Barkas. He also stopped an incredible 73% of the shots that were directed at his goal.
In five Europa League appearances during the 2021/22 season, the seasoned colossus outperformed the Greek international with an average Sofascore rating of 6.86 and a save percentage of 61%.
According to these numbers, Hart appeared to be a much better fit for the Hoops than the £4.5 million bust, therefore Postecoglou was relieved of the need to keep the former AEK star after his subpar first season with the team.
Where is Barkas currently?
The Dutch club FC Utrecht presently has the services of the 29-year-old custodian, who joined them on a free transfer during the summer transfer window and spent the 2022–23 season on loan with them.
In five Eredivisie games so far this season, Barkas has given up 11 goals and failed to preserve a single clean sheet, and he is not demonstrating to Celtic why they were wrong to let him go this year.
The Greek liability had a difficult time in Scotland, and his season’s early performances do not indicate that he is doing much better in a new environment.
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