FORMER Celtic fans’ favourite Fraser Forster has completed a two-year deal at Spurs – and the keeper could make his debut at Ibrox.
The 34-year-old skyscraper shotstopper, who had four stints at the Hoops with three spells on loan, has agreed the move from Southampton on a free transfer to become back-up to French No.1 Hugo Loris.
Ironically, it was the position held by Joe Hart before his £1million three-year contract switch from the London club to Parkhead in August last year.
Six times-capped England international Forster spent eight years at the south coast club after joining from Celtic in a £10million deal.
IT TAKES TWO…former Celtic keeper Fraser Forster and present-day Hoops No.1 Joe Hart go through an England international training session.
He won four titles in Glasgow and was expected to sign a temporary transfer for the historic push for the tenth successive championship, but an unexpected u-turn saw him stay at St Mary’s while the Hoops, who had allowed Craig Gordon rejoin Hearts at the end of his contract, were forced into the transfer market to pay a club record £4.5million for Vasilis Barkas.
The former AEK Athens netminder failed to impress in his two seasons and has joined Dutch club Utrecht on a year-long loan after making only two first-team appearances following the arrival of Ange Postecoglou, as CQN reported yesterday.
Forster, who had joined the Parkhead outfit in a £2million move from Newcastle in 2012 after two impressive successive loan terms, has accepted he will be No.2 to Lloris and was quick to accept the switch to Spurs after Antonio Conte allowed another keeper, Pierluigi Gollini, to leave the club at the end of the season, as stated in the Daily Mail.
There has been a growing trend across the border in recent years of top six clubs signing experienced English goalkeepers to help fulfil their homegrown player quota.
LONDON CALLING…Fraser Forster with the Spurs goalkeeper’s jersey.
Rob Green spent one season at Chelsea, Lee Grant has just left Manchester United and Scott Carson is currently at Manchester City.
Forster is likely to get game time during the pre-season and one fixture where he is likely to make an appearance is the friendly against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side in Glasgow on Saturday July 23.
Coincidentally, Celtic are scheduled to face Norwich City, another of the netminder’s former clubs, at Parkhead on the same afternoon.
