Gary Caldwell, a two-time Scottish Premiership champion in green-and-white, was coaching in England’s third tier last season when the Celtic-linked talent made his mark.
He turned up at half five at a gym at Newton Abbot and he was the first one there, after cancelling his holiday. I think that tells you everything you need to know about Vil. And I’m sure he’ll go on to have an incredible career.”
Celtic keen on Aston Villa goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo
Capped twice by Finland already, Sinisalo has a decision to make about his future at club level. Does he return to Aston Villa and attempt to force his way into Unai Emery’s plans, perhaps taking Robin Olsen’s spot as the club’s back-up option behind Emi Martinez?
On the other hand, it would feel a shame if Sinisalo was to go from 45 league appearances in 2023/24 to none in 2024/25, even if there is obviously a sizeable gap between the third tier and England’s top flight
The Scottish Sun report that Celtic are willing to offer Sinisalo the sort of regular first-team opportunities that may be beyond him at Villa Park, Joe Hart‘s retirement meaning The Hoops have lost their go-to shot-stopper of the last three seasons.
Shaun MacDonald, who found himself stuck behind Sinisalo in the Exeter City pecking order last season, sees no reason why his former team-mate should not be looking to move at least one rung up the ladder. And if he ends up playing Champions League football and fighting for silverware at Celtic, all the better.
“He’s wasting his time coming back to League One next year”, MacDonald tells The Athletic. “I’ve said that openly and he agrees. He’s got a year left on his contract (at Aston Villa), so he would probably have to sign a new deal if he was going on loan again.
“I would say move to the Championship. (But) I saw stories about Celtic, so something like that would be great.”
