John Hartson has picked out his favourite Celtic signing of the summer
Former Celtic hero John Hartson says he is chuffed with the club’s transfer business this summer as the Hoops target a fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title defence.
The Hoops have started the season in excellent fashion with four victories from their opening four league matches, including a comprehensive 3-0 victory over rivals Rangers over the weekend.
The result leaves Brendan Rodgers’ side firmly in the driving seat at the top of the table and already five points clear of their city rivals.
The victory over Rangers saw club-record signing Arne Engels make his debut alongside new recruit Luke McCowan. Both arrive at Parkhead with huge expectations after impressive campaigns at Augsburg and Dundee respectively, but the signing who Hartson is most impressed with is experienced goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel from Anderlecht.
Hartson told The Go Radio Football Show: “They’ve added some really good players. Engels got on today, did okay. Valle, a left-back cover for Taylor. Valle might even get in as first choice. We saw today Idah coming on for Kyogo.
“You got Ralston there. He hasn’t made many changes on that right side, but he’s got Forrest today who came on for Kuhn. So Celtic now have got options.
“They made six or seven new signings. They’ve got another fantastic keeper in Schmeichel. That could be arguably the best signing that Celtic have made. He’s right up there to replace someone like Joe Hart. So they’ve got momentum.
“They are riding the crest of a wave. There’s a feel-good factor there. They’ve just beaten Rangers. They go into the Champions League now with a good feeling. They have a massive crowd at Celtic Park. Whether or not they can test the best clubs in the world, we’ll have to see about that.”
Schmeichel has signed a one-year contract at Celtic in a move which saw him reunite with his former boss Brendan Rodgers. The pair worked together with Leicester City and enjoyed a huge success as the Foxes lifted the FA Cup for the first time in their history in 2021.
The 105-time international offers a wealth of experience to Celtic, having competed in four major international tournaments with Denmark while also playing a major role in Leicester’s shock title win during the 2015/16 campaign.
He is yet to concede a goal in the Premiership since his arrival and has only conceded once across five matches in all competitions during a 3-1 victory against Hibs in the League Cup.
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