According to this report from Evening Times, Celtic are among various clubs who are keeping tabs on Gillingham goalkeeper Joe Walsh. The 17-year-old is also drawing interest from the likes of Manchester City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and RB Leipzig.
Walsh recently signed his first deal with the League One outfit, and he is contracted to stay at the club until 2022. The 6ft4 stopper is seen as a significant talent. The youngster has made appearances in EFL Trophy games this season, and he is yet to feature in League One encounters. Walsh is currently a regular for Gillingham’s u-21 side.
Goalkeeping situation at Celtic
Celtic have three top options in goal for this season in the form of Scott Bain, Fraser Forster and Craig Gordon. Forster has been signed on a season-long loan after Bain injured himself in August. Bain has gone on to sign a new contract with the Hoops, so it is clear that the team management sees him as a long term option.
Forster has been fantastic in goal, and he has already played a stellar role for the Hoops, especially in the Europa League. There is no doubt to us that the team management and the fans would love to sign him again permanently. However, his price tag and wage demands could be a significant stumbling block.
As for Gordon, he has likely run his course in Celtic colours, and we believe that he would leave the club once his contract expires in the summer of 2020. Gordon, who was the first choice up until the first half of the last season, is being seen as the third-choice goalkeeper now. The Scotsman is not that agile anymore, and he has looked stiff in goal whenever he has played in the last few games.
Therefore the Hoops can lose two goalkeepers by next summer, and that is why a goalkeeper will be high on Lennon’s list. Not much is known about Walsh at the moment as he has graduated to the senior team from Gillingham’s academy just this season only. However, the fact that European heavyweights like Manchester City and Leipzig are interested in him is enough testament to his talent.
One for the future
It remains to be seen whether the Hoops will be able to beat the other competitors to land Walsh in the future. He is likely being seen as an option for the future as he is yet to prove himself at the senior level. Moving to Celtic can probably give him a much quicker path towards first-team football.
