If a report from Herald Scotland is believed to be true, Celtic are plotting a surprise move for their former academy graduate Ross Doohan. Currently at Aberdeen, the custodian will be a free agent next month. The Hoops could make this opportunity count and offer him an emotional return to his boyhood club.
Despite struggling again in the Old Firm clash, Celtic maintain their supremacy in Scottish football. They have matched Rangers’ 55 league titles by securing the Premiership crown, and would conquer a ‘domestic treble’ with a win against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final. Although the Bhoys are expected to snap up several first-team signings in the summer window, Doohan’s Bosman arrival would be crucial if Scott Bain parts ways for first-team football.
Why It Would Be A Smart Move From Celtic
Following Joe Hart’s retirement, Brendan Rodgers made a like-for-like replacement by roping in veteran Kasper Schmeichel on a free transfer. Bain could have been his understudy amid Benjamin Siegrist’s exit, but the club decided to tie down Viljami Sinisalo from Aston Villa, who is currently having a run of games in the wake of the Danish ace’s shoulder injury.
This makes Bain the third-choice at Parkhead, and the 33-year-old Scotsman could now try his luck elsewhere for regular gametime. Doohan could replace his fellow countryman in the coming days, and the move could see the Celts maintain the homegrown spots as they must name eight such players in their Champions League squad under UEFA regulations. Moreover, four of them have to stem from their youth setup, and the Dons’ keeper ticks those boxes, having spent seven years in Lennoxtown.
Surplus to requirements at Celtic, the 27-year-old former Scotland youth international had a productive loan stint at Ayr United in the Scottish Championship. He spent the 2020-21 season in the Premiership with Ross County before returning to his parent club in January and then joining Dundee United on an emergency loan. Doohan only made 7 top-flight appearances throughout the campaign and was loaned out again next season, this time south of the border with English fourth-tier outfit Tranmere Rovers.
Meanwhile, the Hoops sanctioned a permanent exit in the summer of 2022. Impressed by his presence between the sticks, the Rovers secured him for an undisclosed fee. However, he joined Forest Green six months later and then returned to Scotland in another six months to deputise for Kelle Roos in the Aberdeen goal.
Doohan only appeared twice last season but has featured 18 times under Jimmy Thelin so far this term in all competitions. While the minutes won’t be assured in Glasgow, his skills and attributes developed over the years should see him step in and deliver when required at Celtic Park.
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