IT wasn’t the worst bit of business Celtic have ever concluded in their history. Sell Fraser Forster to Southampton for £10m and then recruit his replacement – a one-time £9m goalkeeper himself – for free. Sure, there were question marks last year over whether Craig Gordon was capable of reaching the standards that prompted Sunderland to pay that sum to recruit from Hearts several years earlier, but if it was a twin transaction loaded with risk, then it is one that has paid off handsomely.

Gordon has been a stellar signing for Celtic, a fact recognised on Thursday by the club’s decision to hand him an improved three-year contract that will keep him at the Scottish champions until beyond his 35th birthday. Last season’s SFWA player of the year, he will again likely be a key figure at the Parkhead club as they look to retain their league title and advance into the group stages of the Champions League.

Pat Bonner, a one-time custodian of the Celtic goal himself, can’t help but be impressed. Forster had taken a while to win him over but once the giant Englishman had settled at the club, it became apparent his inevitable departure would leave a sizeable void for someone to fill. Gordon had the pedigree but not the match sharpness. Having not played a competitive match for two years as he made the long recovery from a knee injury, there were understandable doubts over how he could cope on his return to competitive action. Not only has he banished questions over his fitness, he has also proved himself to be a more than worthy successor to Forster.

“Craig has been exceptional since he joined the club,” said Bonner, speaking as one of title sponsors Ladbrokes’ new football ambassadors. “He’s signed a new contract, which is great. It’s a wonderful story. I remember speaking to him a couple of years ago and he was really struggling.

“He was focusing more on the coaching side of things rather than playing. Full credit to him, though, because even despite all the injuries he had, he never gave up and he always felt confident that he could come back.

“There is no denying that Fraser is a top goalkeeper and fully deserves his place in the current England squad. Where I think Craig has it over him, though, is that he is a bit more experienced, he’s a talker and he’s a leader. Craig is a more traditional keeper, looking to come and collect crosses a lot more often than what a lot of other keepers in the modern game do.

“I’m sure Craig would love to finish his career at Celtic. He’s playing at the top club in the country at the moment and vying to get into the Champions League. I don’t see any need for him to go elsewhere at the moment. I know he’s enjoying his football and I’m sure Celtic are looking after him well with his new contract.”

Bonner knows from experience that, as the Celtic goalkeeper, sometimes concentration can matter as much as agility or strength.

“There’s a certain way you have to play with Celtic,” he added. “Normally, you won’t have all that many saves to make throughout a match. The big thing is that you have to be able to produce the big saves at the right time. He will go long periods without doing anything but he still has to make sure he can produce the big saves in the big moments.

“He has proven time and again that he can do that, so in that respect, he is actually the perfect goalkeeper for Celtic.”

Gordon has stated it remains a personal aspiration to play in the group stage of the Champions League although his team still have a bit to do if they are to help him realise that this season.

A 1-0 first leg victory over Qarabag in the third qualifying round has given them a decent platform from which to approach the second leg in Azerbaijan but Bonner warned it is far from over yet.

“I think Celtic will definitely have to score over there. It would have been great if they had got the second goal at Parkhead to kill the tie off a wee bit, so it is still a dangerous game. It’s still going to be very difficult but Celtic are in a decent enough position. It was so important that they kept a clean sheet in the home leg. There were a few nervy moments, but I think Craig only had one serious save to make.

“That’s an improvement on last year, where Craig ended up being man of the match in the qualifying games – even at home. But there is a wee bit of a dilemma. They need to decide whether to go over there and attack Qarabag, or whether to try and sit back for a while and see how the game pans out. But I think Celtic have enough about them to go over there and really attack them and take the game to them. “

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