Vasilis Barkas left Celtic permanently in 2023 after a spell that probably didn’t go the way he or the club envisaged at Parkhead.
Brought in for £4.5 million at the beginning of 2020/21, the Greece international arrived at an unusual point in the Bhoys’ history. Scottish Premiership games were being played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Undoubtedly, the campaign’s end result is a topic Celtic fans won’t spend too much time revisiting; however, the 29-year-old has rediscovered his best form since moving to Utrecht on loan in 2022 before completing a permanent switch to the Eredivisie outfit in 2023.
Per Transfermarkt, the Athens-born man has made 65 appearances for Domstedelingen, keeping 17 clean sheets in the process.
Sometimes, things don’t work out for certain players in a particular environment. Barkas came to Glasgow at a time when strict measures such as social distancing were in operation, which is bound to impact forging efficient relationships with teammates.
Thankfully, Celtic are in a much better place now, and memories of the past can be filed as irrelevant as the club continue to move forward in a positive direction.
Vasilis Barkas opens up honestly on his time at Celtic
Barkas and Celtic have both gone their separate ways; nevertheless, it is always intriguing to hear some behind-the-scenes insight from a former player, whether their spell was memorable or otherwise.
Speaking to World Football Index, the Greek goalkeeper opened up on the difficulties he had acclimatising to life in Scotland during the pandemic, though he was quick to offer his gratitude to the club for allowing him to experience a different football culture.
He stated: “It was a move that excited me at the time, but the timing was unlucky as no one knew that Covid would have the impact on things as it did. I went to another country to play outside Greece for the first time, and due to the situation, players had to be in different changing rooms and stay apart from each other as much as possible.
“That meant that I was not able to have the connection with my teammates like I had at AEK before I arrived. I was also not able to enjoy the simple things such as going out for coffee as you were not allowed to with the Covid rules.
“I felt like I did not have a period to acclimatise to Scotland as I would have liked, which impacted on my mental health and then in my ability to perform as I had before.
“People may look at me and say that it did not work out, and that is true, but Celtic is a big club in European football, and I always have to thank them for what they gave me as it was my first experience of football abroad and I saw a different football culture.
“Sure, it did not work out for me as I would have liked, but that is life, and it cannot be changed.”
Celtic have to sort out their goalkeeping situation this summer
Touching on goalkeepers, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is on the lookout to replace veteran stopper Joe Hart, who is retiring at the end of this campaign following a distinguished career.
Motherwell’s Liam Kelly is the latest name to be linked with a switch to Parkhead. According to Stephen McGowan, the 28-year-old could be available on a free transfer at the end of the campaign and is on a list of summer transfer targets.
Benjamin Siegrist is also reportedly set to leave, potentially leaving more than one void that needs to be filled ahead of next season.