Carlton Palmer extolls the virtues of Celtic following Patterson link

The Celtic Star

·25 April 2024

Carlton Palmer extolls the virtues of Celtic following Patterson link

Former footballer turned pundit Carlton Palmer, has been in the media extolling the virtues of Celtic Football Club, following a link with Sunderland goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson. The Bhoys are searching the globe for a replacement number one to come in at the end of this Scottish Premiership campaign and take the gloves off of the departing Joe Hart.

The Englishman has been immense for the club since he arrived from Tottenham Hotspur for a £1 million steal back in the August of 2021. Ange Postecoglou had inherited a car crash that June and had to set about rectifying a squad that was lacking in confidence and contained multiple players who say their future elsewhere. Slowly but surely, the pieces began to fall into place with each other and Joe’s addition was vital at that time.

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With a completely new defence which needed a helping hand from an older, far more experienced head, it was a no-brainer (pardon the pun) for Joe to be given the opportunity to guide this young and aspiring Hoops team, along with the likes of Callum McGregor. He succeeded in doing so and despite some very early setbacks, managed to be part of the strongest and most frugal defence in the Scottish Premiership that year and helped us to a League and Cup Double.

With the big man now finally set to step back from the game and take a well-earned breather, the task for Brendan Rodgers and the recruitment team at Celtic Park will be to find a player and more importantly, a character suitable to take over the reins from Hart. It won’t be easy, as the goalkeeper role is notoriously difficult to fill at times, as pressure of playing for Celtic can be too much at times for some – see Vasilis Barkas.

26th December 2021; McDiarmid Park, Perth, Scotland; Scottish Premier League football, St Johnstone versus Celtic; Vasilis Barkas of Celtic warms up

Patterson has been linked as one to watch in the coming months ahead, but with a £20 million price-tag that seems highly unlikely to happen. Despite this though, Palmer has revealed that should an opportunity arise to play with the Scottish Premiership Champions, it would prove too big for the boyhood Sunderland fan to turn down. “So many of the Sunderland young players are linked with moves away from the football club. Obviously, it’s been a disappointing season. They were hoping to be in the play-offs this season, but it has not materialised,” he said via Football League World.

“One name that has been mentioned quite a lot last summer and at Christmas is their goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson, who has been a consistent performer for the club. Celtic are a massive club, a huge club, a very good manager in Brendan Rodgers, European football. Of course, that would be something that you would not be able to turn down. Celtic would have to part with the best part of £15-20 million for Anthony Patterson, and I could see him leaving Sunderland to play in the Scottish Premiership, and then, if he is still young enough, he can come back to the Premier League.”

He added: “If he is available, I think there will be a few clubs in the Premier League who will be looking to take him on a permanent basis. A very, very talented goalkeeper.”

Paul Gillespie

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