Celtic have snapped up two goalkeepers this summer and it seems that John McGinn had a real part to play in one of Brendan Rodgers’ additions.
The Bhoys have been committed to signing veteran goalkeepers in recent times.
Fraser Forster returned in 2019 before Vasilis Barkas endured a miserable time in Glasgow and was flogged by Ange Postecoglou.
The investment in Barkas didn’t work out so Celtic went back to the tried and tested route, brining in Joe Hart on a free transfer.
Hart has now decided to call it quits, bringing the curtain down on his long career.
Celtic have now backed another experienced goalkeeper to replace Hart having snapped up Kasper Schmeichel on a free transfer – a deal which has left Gordon Dalziel unconvinced.
Schmeichel – Hart’s former Manchester City teammate – arrives from Anderlecht and will be asked to be something of a mentor at Parkhead…
Viljami Sinisalo on John McGinn
Celtic also pounced to land another goalkeeper in Finnish stopper Viljami Sinisalo.
Sinisalo has left Aston Villa for a permanent move to Celtic, with the Bhoys seemingly hoping to develop him behind an experienced stopper in Schmeichel.
This move has been a long time coming.
Celtic were interested in Sinisalo back in 2021 having impressed on loan at Ayr United, before stints with Burton Albion and Exeter City.
The 22-year-old has now decided to move on permanently and will have dreams of becoming Celtic’s first-choice stopper down the line.
Sinisalo has now opened up on his move and has highlighted the role of one Villa teammate.
John McGinn is a boyhood Celtic fan and has admitted that Henrik Larsson was his favourite player growing up.
Sinisalo has now told the Daily Record that the move is somewhat easier having already lived in Scotland during his time with Ayr United.
Sinisalo did admit speaking to McGinn before the move though, admitting that the midfielder told him to ‘jump’ at the chance to sign for Celtic.
The Finn added that McGinn gave him some secret advice ahead of his move to Glasgow, but refused to share exactly what he said.
“Obviously, it helps that I’ve lived there before,” said Sinisalo. “I spoke to him a lot. He said you should jump at this opportunity. It’s massive and he gave us a little bit of advice, which I won’t tell! He’s a great man, John. I’m grateful for everything he’s done for me at Aston Villa and how he’s helped me settle into life in Scotland. He’s a big character. Absolutely. He’s funny. At Villa, he even gets the not-so-English-speaking people laughing, he gets everyone involved.”
“Just in general, he’s a very good man, which is really nice and which is what I gather with a lot of Scottish people. I spoke to a lot of people before I came here, but you feel it. You feel that you’ve joined something massive and something really big. So, yeah, it’s been amazing. I’ve loved every minute of it and long may that continue, it’s been really good,” he added.
Sinisalo may spend most of this season on the bench but learning from Schmeichel will be a huge resource for him.
The future should be bright for Sinisalo at Celtic, but if he ever needs some advice on how to deal with the intensity of life around the Bhoys, McGinn will be right there for him.
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