Vasilis Barkas continues to ‘excel’ in the Eredivisie with the former Celtic goalkeeper producing another ‘Man of the Match’ display between the sticks for FC Utrecht.
It certainly didn’t work out for the Greece international in Glasgow but, since moving to the Netherlands on a free transfer in hte summer of 2022, Vasilis Barkas has wasted little time in rediscovering the form which once encouraged Celtic to pay £5 million for his services in the first place.
The former AEK Athens ace was largely outstanding during his debut season at Utrecht. A ‘giant’ of a man who’s ‘fantastic’ shot-stopping qualities helped the Stadion Galgenwaard outfit secure a top-half finish in 2022/23.
Vasilis Barkas thriving after Celtic exit
A relegation battle appeared to be on the cards following a miserable start to the current campaign before a seven-game unbeaten run – sparked by a 4-3 triumph over Ajax – lifted Utrecht up the table and comfortably clear of the bottom three.
Barkas was a stand-out performer yet again during Sunday’s 2-0 win at Fortuna Sittard, a second clean sheet of the season a fitting reward for a man who has already made 56 saves in 23/24 (WhoScored).
“We simply put in a good team performance,” Utrecht coach Ron Jans told ESPN after that hard-earned Fortuna Sittard win. “A number of players also excelled. Barkas has enjoyed a good series of games and kept a clean sheet today.
“So I think he can be Man of the Match.”
Barkas, who made only 24 appearances for Celtic while losing his place to Joe Hart, was even named Voetbal International’s Player of the Week. Seven of the 56 saves he has made in his second season in the Utrecht goal came during that nerve-biting victory in the imaginatively-named Fortuna Sittard Stadion.
“He really won (the game) for Utrecht. That is great,” club icon Erik van der Meer told RTV after a similarly outstanding Barkas display recently. “They were wonderful saves. It was a really good move to keep him (and sign him on a permanent deal from Celtic).”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
