The Celtics have been connected with a deal to sign the colossus during the summer window.
Brendan-Rodgers-Celtic-Scottish-Premiership
Celtic are set to face their closest rivals in the SFA Cup final at Hampden Park on Saturday, the season’s final game.
The Hoops can round off the 2023/24 season with a second trophy, completing a domestic double, after winning the Scottish Premiership title last weekend.
Brendan Rodgers’ side had secured the title with a 5-0 away win over Kilmarnock last week before defeating St Mirren 3-2 on the last day of the league season at Parkhead.
The Northern Irish coach will now be aiming for another strong showing from his players at Hampden Park when they face Rangers in the final this weekend.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers celebrates.
Following that major confrontation, the club’s attention will shift to the summer transfer market, and there is no escaping the necessity to buy a new first-choice goalkeeper.
Joe Hart is set to retire at the age of 37 when his contract expires this summer, leaving the Scottish giants in need of a number one goalkeeper for the 2024/25 season.
Celtic looking to sign Austrian star
According to Football Insider, the Hoops are negotiating a contract to bring Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Patrick Pentz to Parkhead this summer.
According to the article, the Austrian shot-stopper has only one year left on his contract with the German club, who have just finished an unbeaten season in the Bundesliga, and this might offer the Bhoys with an opportunity to sign him.
According to the report, the 27-year-old star has emerged as a’strong’ option for the Scottish club to sign in order to bolster their goalkeeping options for the next season.
Celtic-Patrick-Pentz
According to Football Insider, Rodgers’ primary priority for the forthcoming summer transfer window is to recruit a new goalkeeper to replace Hart, with Pentz being one of the top targets in that position.
However, it may not be a simple transaction to complete because Southampton and PSV are also rumored to be interested in the potential colossus, who just spent the season on loan with Brondby of Denmark.
The Saints face Southampton in the Championship play-off final on Sunday and might be promoted to the Premier League, which would boost their negotiating position if they still want to sign Pentz.
If Celtic win the competition for his services, the club might secure a goalkeeper who is ideal for Rodgers’ style of play going forward.
Why Patrick Pentz is ideal for Brendan Rodgers.
According to Football Insider, the Hoops boss was impressed with the Leverkusen ace’s abilities with the ball at his feet and wants his number one to be able to play out from the back.
The article described Pentz as a’modern’ goalkeeper, which he demonstrated while on loan with Brondby in Denmark this season.
He appeared in 25 Superliga games and completed 91% of his attempted passes in his own half, with no errors that resulted in a shot or goal for the other team.
In reality, his last error that resulted in a goal or shot at league level dates back to the 2020/21 Austrian Bundesliga season, when he played for Austria Wien.
Patrick Pentz’s errors.
Season
Appearances
Error led to shooting.
Error led to the goal.
2020/2021 Bundesliga
32
0
1
2021-22 Bundesliga
32
0
0
2022-23 Ligue 1
7
0
0
2023-24 Superliga
25
0
0
Stats via Sofascore.
As shown in the table above, the 27-year-old star has committed no direct errors in the last three seasons and only one in the last four campaigns combined.
In his 109 Scottish Premiership games over three years at Parkhead, Hart committed five errors that resulted in opposing shots and one that resulted in a goal.
This shows that the 37-year-old veteran is significantly more prone to making mistakes while playing out of the back than Pentz, given the higher volume of errors when passing the ball to the opposing team during the last three seasons.
As a result, the Austrian’s high pass success percentage within his own half, along with his consistency in control of the ball, implies that the Leverkusen gem would be ideal for Rodgers and his preferred build-from-back strategy.
Why would Patrick Pentz be an enhancement over Joe Hart?
Along with his exceptional ball skills, Pentz could be an upgrade on Hart due to his ability to stop shots and dominate his area as a goalie.
joe-hart-anthony-patterson-celtic-transfer
To begin, the Austrian behemoth ranked in the top 23% of his positional contemporaries in Ligue 1 last season for percentage of crosses stopped (7.8%), whilst the Englishman ranked in the lowest 22% of Champions League goalkeepers this season at only 1.2%.
This means that Pentz, who Leverkusen manager Simon Rolfs declared last year is “in his prime,” could be significantly more dominant when it comes to collecting crosses, relieving burden on his defence.
23/24 season.
Joe Hart (premiership)
Patrick Pentz (SuperLiga)
Appearances
37
25
Sofascore rating.
6.85
7.31
Save the success rate.
68%
75%
Run-out success rate
85%
89%
Duel success rate
77%
100%
Ground Duel Success Rate
40%
100%
Stats via Sofascore.
As shown in the table above, the Brondby loanee outperformed Hart as a shot-stopper, with a high save success rate and perfect duels against opposing players, whilst the Hoops star fell short in that regard.
These statistics, combined with his previously stated compatibility to Rodgers’ preferred style of play, imply that the Bhoys target might be an excellent addition to the squad to replace the former Manchester City behemoth in the future.
