CELTIC’S £150K SALE LOOKS AN ERROR NOW WITH ‘FIRST-CLASS’ STAR IN ‘OUTSTANDING’ FORM
Former Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard is going from strength-to-strength at Plymouth Argyle with his ‘outstanding’ form continuing in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Championship rivals Swansea City.
Morgan Whittaker had to step aside for a change.
The co-top scorer in the Championship and former Rangers target, Whittaker, stroked home a characteristically lavish victory in South Wales. Whittaker’s finish, both in terms of quality and timing, explained why Serie A powerhouse Lazio was eager to sign him in the January transfer window.
On the other hand, Conor Hazard, a former Celtic goalkeeper for Plymouth, made three outstanding saves to set the stage for Whittaker to build upon. Since he was elevated to the starting position, the Argyle team has only lost once in nine games.
Former Celtic goalkeeper thriving in England
“He has been outstanding since I have come into the football club, and he’s going to have to be. We are Plymouth Argyle and every game for us is going to be difficult in this division,” head coach Ian Foster, who was appointed in January after Steven Schumacher left for Stoke City, tells BBC Devon.
“We’re going to have to defend really well with 11. We will protect him as much as we possibly can but there is times where he’s going to have to make big saves for us.
“His attitude and application since I have been here has been first class. He’s a big boy and he’s capable of making big saves and he has proved that.”
‘Outstanding’
Hazard spent nearly a decade at Celtic until his departure in the summer of 2023. He made only five Scottish Premiership appearances for the Glasgow giants, however, though some may argue that the club’s already under-fire recruitment department may have been better off keeping Hazard and instead cashing in on Scott Bain or
Benjamin Siegrist, especially because neither “keeper” appears to be in the running for the starting position until Joe Hart’s contract ends.
Some stories claim Plymouth only paid £150,000 for Hazard. One of the best deals in England’s second tier is this one, so far.
As Hart prepares to become a free agent in a few months, Celtic is reportedly interested in a number of goalkeepers.However, Brendan Rodgers has already let go of Hakon Valdimarsson and Horatiu Moldovan, who have since joined Brentford and Atletico Madrid, respectively.
