Livakovic showing his class yet again. He’s a player well within Celtic’s reach

Croatia international shot stopper Dominik Livakovic is a player who has been admired by many Celtic supporters for quite some time, and one who has been touted as a potential transfer target on numerous occasions in recent years…

I recently posted an article on goalkeepers Celtic should be looking at this summer, and Livakovic was one of three names mentioned. And last night he impressed yet again in Croatia’s World Cup clash with England, despite the result.

Livakovic a stand-out for Croatia despite the score 

The ageing Croatian side might have been beaten 4-2 by their much younger English counterparts, and Livakovic himself had to pick the ball out of the net on four occasions, but he still impressed all the same, with the Croatians only keeping the goals against column to four due to Livakovic’s outstanding input on the game.

He had no chance with any of the goals, indeed he saved Harry Kane’s first spot kick attempt only for it to be retaken due to an infringement spotted by VAR. Livakovic was competent throughout, as he showcased his shot stopping and distribution skills, as he more than proved that he’s a keeper who belongs at the very top level of the game.

Livakovic could be available for as little as £4m 

Livakovic is currently on the books of Turkish giants Fenerbahce, but is unsettled and spent last season on loan in his homeland with a club close to his heart Dinamo Zagreb. However at 31 years old he might well be tempted by one last big challenge, and I reckon Celtic should be the ones pitching that scenario to him and his agent.

He’s valued in the £4-£5 million range, which is not only affordable to ourselves, but an absolute bargain for a goalkeeper of his standing in the game.

Livakovic is an experienced international who’s played at the very top, and he’s ultra experienced at club level, and at just 31 which is still young in goalkeeping terms, he still has a good few years left in the tank.

Livakovic younger than Hart and Schmeichel when they signed for Celtic

Our last two first choice picks, Joe Hart, and Kasper Schmeichel were considerably older when they joined the club, so Livakovic would be a spring chicken in comparison but just as successful. He could easily be a top class Celtic keeper for the next four or five seasons.

The problem is on the re-sale value 

The problem of course is money and a £5m transfer fee would mean that there would be no sell-on value down the line and we know that matters a great deal to our money conscious custodians. Celtic paid Tottenham a fee for Joe Hart of around £1m and Kasper Schmeichel arrived as a free agent. Both would have cost considerably more than £5m as 31 year-olds.

The Sinisalo consideration 

And in contrast if Celtic can develop Viljami Sinisalo into a highly rated goalkeeper in the Champions League then at his age he would command a significant sell-on fee after Celtic’s initial £1m investment paid to Aston Villa.

Livakovic would make Celtic harder to score against and that would be particularly important in the Champions League. There’s value and considerable merit in this transfer suggestion that many Celtic supporters would be delighted with.

For Martin O’Neill his first spell as Celtic manager back in the day was obviously outstanding but the prevailing weakness was always in the goalkeeping position.  Bringing in a world class keeper, aged 31 for around £4-5m would seem logical and would immediately make Celtic harder to beat.

Let me know what you think of this transfer suggestion?

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…

Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!