Neil Lennon Faces Goalkeeping Problem
Neil Lennon, manager of Scottish Premier League (SPL) club Celtic Football Club has revealed he is not disappointed after missing out on signing David James – believing the England international had made the decision based on family reasons – and has reportedly turned his sights towards former Germany goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand.
Lennon has been on the lookout for a new goalkeeper to provide a challenge for current first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska after former number one Artur Boruc was sold to Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee during the close season. The manager had targeted free agent James as a top-quality replacement for the Polish international, but the 39 year-old former Portsmouth player has instead decided to play his trade with English Football League Championship outfit Bristol City Football Club.
James had been set to hold talks with Celtic before opting for Bristol. English Premier League (EPL) teams Fulham and Sunderland were also said to have held an interest in signing the player.
Lennon told Sky Sports News that he felt no ill will towards James. The Celtic Park boss said: "I think (James' snub) is more to do with the family reasons and being sort of closer to home so that's why he chose Bristol City. He would have been ideal for us in terms of experience, presence and charisma. He ticks all the boxes there. It's one of those unfortunate things in football. It's a genuine personal reason. It's nothing to do with money. I spoke to his personal representatives today. We wished them good luck with that."
Sights set on German
Celtic are now reported to have turned their attentions towards Hildebrand, who is available on a free transfer after he was not offered a new deal with Bundesliga team TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The 31 year-old has said he is keen on a switch to the SPL, having told the Bild newspaper in his homeland: "Celtic are interested and that is very interesting for me."
However, Lennon has yet to make any official move for the player, saying: "There have been no talks as far as I'm concerned."
Should Celtic be successful in any move made for Hildebrand, they will be capturing the services of a successful, experienced player. He was part of the VfB Stuttgart side, which secured the Bundesliga in the 2006-07 season, and made 221 appearances for that club between 1999 and 2007. After moving to Valencia CF, he won the Copa del Rey with the La Liga outfit in his sole season in Spain. He also has seven senior international caps to his name, having been part of the squad which finished in third place at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in his homeland.
Zaluska trusted with gloves
In the meantime, Lennon will entrust his goalkeeping spot to former Dundee United player Zaluska. The 28 year-old was at fault for the third goal in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first-leg 3-0 defeat to Sporting Club de Braga in Portugal when he was caught out of position by Matheus Leite Nascimento’s free-kick, struck from 30 yards out.
Despite that high-profile error, Lennon is willing to keep Zaluska between the sticks ahead of 24 year-old American Dominic Cervi, though the Polish international has yet to convince his boss that he can consistently perform at a high level. The manager said: "He's number one at the minute. He needs to persuade me that he can be number one consistently. I'm looking for someone to come in and challenge Lukasz. We need two quality goalkeepers. We've lost one and I've got another and I need to bring one more in."
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