Former Celtic striker Charlie Nicholas has claimed that the Hoops are covering around £40k-per-week of Fraser Forster’s wage.
Nicholas claims that Celtic are paying near to £40k, whilst they also have no commitment to sign him on a permanent basis at the end of the season.
Forster joined Celtic on loan from Southampton last summer and has been a regular in Neil Lennon’s side this term.
As per the Daily Record, Nicholas said:
They are paying near to £40,000 a week to Southampton for Fraser Forster, I’m led to believe, and there is no commitment to do a transfer at the end of it.
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The Scotsman claims that Forster earns £70k-per-week at Southampton, which means that Celtic are paying just over 50% of his wages this season. This means that Southampton have been able to offload, around, £30k-per-week by sending Forster to Scotland. This appears to be a great deal for the Saints on paper, as it takes a sizeable chunk out of the wage bill for the campaign and allows Forster to play regular football.
It is interesting that Nicholas claims that Celtic do not have a commitment to sign him permanently. With Alex McCarthy and Angus Gunn already at the club, Forster could be left in limbo in the summer if a club does not come in for him.
He was Ralph Hasenhuttl’s third-choice goalkeeper last term and it would be a surprise to see him settle for that position in the squad again next season if he returns to St. Mary’s.
Could Celtic make an attempt to sign him permanently at the end of the season? That remains to be seen, but it could be his best option if no other clubs become interested due to the goalkeeping situation at Southampton.
