Celtic officially miss out as free-agent joins new club and explains his choice
So that’s that, then. Official and confirmed. The free-agent will not be signing for Celtic after all.
Then again, this is not really much of a surprise.
It has been apparent for a while now that one potential Joe Hart replacement would not be arriving at Parkhead.
Dutch publication Brabants Dagblad reported a few weeks ago that that there was ‘concrete interest’ from Celtic in the departing RKC Waalwijk glovesman Etienne Vaessen.
A goalkeeper who, with his contract expiring, was bidding an emotional farewell to the club he had represented at first-team level for a decade.
All the signs pointed to Vaessen joining newly-promoted FC Groningen instead, however. And one of the worst-kept secrets in Dutch football finally became public knowledge this week, the experienced glovesman putting pen to paper on an initial three-year deal with the option for a fourth at Euroborg.
goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen of RKC Waalwijk celebrates the goal during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Heracles Almelo and RKC Waalwijk at Erve A…
Celtic linked Etienne Vaessen joins FC Groningen
Despite Groningen finding themselves in the second tier last term, Vaessen feels that one of the sleeping giants of Dutch football is still a step up in terms of the pressures and expectations ‘I am used to’.
“I am talking about the stadium, the training complex. I also talked about it with Frank van Mosselveld when it was announced that he would become the new director here,” Vaessen tells Dagblad van het Noorden, reunited with the former RKC chief at his new club.
“Of course, (Van Mosselveld) also comes from RKC. We go back a long way. I asked: ‘why FC Groningen?’. Back then, he said that it has the potential to be the sixth-best club in the Netherlands.
“Now, it is clear to me why.”
Vaessen would then go on to provide a list of clubs who attempted to sign him before he opted for Groningen. The 28-year-old did not mention Celtic, however, suggesting that Brendan Rodgers’ side opted against stepping up their initial interest amid claims that the Scottish champions have shifted their focus elsewhere.
“I thought it was time to step out of my comfort zone,” adds Vaessen, who rose through the ranks at RKC. “That could also have been done at other clubs such as Rakow in Poland, Persepolis in Iran or Estoril in Portugal. They were also interested.
“But I asked myself whether I would still be happy there after a month. I came to the conclusion that I would prefer to stay in the Netherlands.”
Joe Hart needs to be replaced at Parkhead
A month since Joe Hart brought the curtain down on his Celtic career with a league and Scottish Cup double, Celtic appear no closer to finding a replacement for the recently-retired, 75-cap England international.
The likes of Martin Dubravka, Dominik Livakovic and Viljami Sinisalo have all been linked. HITC understands that Liverpool’s Coaimhin Kelleher is the number one target.
Potential deals for Patrick Pentz and Michael Zetterer are no longer possible, however. The former signed for Brondby in Denmark while the latter is staying at Werder Bremen.
There is still the Horatiu Moldovan option, though. Linked with Celtic back in January, Moldovan now wants to leave Atletico Madrid after losing his place as Romania’s number one before the European Championships.
“I want to leave Atletico Madrid in the summer or winter,” Moldovan told the Tare de tot cu Viorel Grigoroiu podcast. “I don’t know if I’ll leave now, because it depends on what I do at the Euros with Romania. It depends on the opportunities that arise.
“But I definitely want to leave to play. If a good team from a big league presents itself to me, then I want to go. We will see what offers appear.
“You can’t reject (the chance to sign for) Atletico. But I want to play.”
