O’Neill faces Celtic goalkeeper dilemma as Sinisalo eyes long-term No.1 shirt

Martin O’Neill is facing a significant decision over his goalkeeping situation at Celtic, with Viljami Sinisalo pushing to be recognised as the club’s long-term No.1 after a season in which he twice rescued the champions from a goalkeeping crisis.

The Finland international was thrust into the spotlight last term after Kasper Schmeichel’s shoulder problems escalated into a serious issue, eventually forcing the Danish international to accept he could not continue between the sticks. Sinisalo stepped in and ended up central to Celtic’s success under O’Neill, including in the Scottish Cup Final and in matches against Rangers.

A familiar rescue act

This was not the first time Sinisalo had been called upon to fill the void. The previous season under Brendan Rodgers, he was thrown into a similar situation when Schmeichel first suffered the shoulder injury that would ultimately end his time as Celtic’s frontline goalkeeper following a Denmark fixture against Portugal.

Sinisalo showed he could handle the position across a seven-match spell during that title run, though some Celtic supporters felt Rodgers erred in restoring a rusty Schmeichel for the Scottish Cup Final against Aberdeen. Those concerns proved justified when Schmeichel’s error cost Celtic an equaliser, and the Dane was unable to save any of Aberdeen’s spot-kicks as the Hoops missed out on a Treble on penalties.

That experience stood Sinisalo in good stead when O’Neill turned to him again last season. This time there was no late recall for Schmeichel at Hampden, and the Finn was at the heart of both trophy successes delivered by O’Neill’s side.

Stick or twist for O’Neill

Now, at 24, Sinisalo finds himself at a crossroads. Having twice proven himself capable when called upon, the question is whether O’Neill views him as ready to be installed as the outright No.1, or whether he is destined to remain understudy should Celtic look to strengthen the position.

His underlying numbers can be viewed generously. Sinisalo kept only two clean sheets in 15 appearances after taking over permanently for the Euro tie in Stuttgart, but Celtic’s defence regularly struggled without the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers marshalling the backline in front of him. Crucially, Sinisalo made no costly individual errors and was particularly solid across three matches against Rangers, two of them at Ibrox under intense pressure.

Celtic have been linked with goalkeepers this summer, though there are arguably more pressing positions for O’Neill to address in the current transfer window. Should the manager decide Sinisalo needs further competition rather than the full-time gloves, with Ross Doohan currently his back-up, O’Neill will need to identify a top-level addition.

O’Neill’s mixed history with goalkeepers

O’Neill’s record in recruiting goalkeepers during his first spell in charge of Celtic was patchy at best. Rab Douglas, signed from Dundee, was a clear success and produced crucial saves as Celtic reached the 2003 UEFA Cup Final in Seville.

Other captures were less convincing. Magnus Hedman, brought in from Coventry City, never fully won over the Celtic support, while Javier Sanchez Broto, signed from Livingston, also failed to establish himself as a genuine top-level option. Given that history, it is likely Celtic will lean heavily on the expertise of goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods as O’Neill weighs up his next move between the posts.