The summer transfer window officially opened for business just over two weeks ago and Celtic are still searching for their new number one for next season.
Brendan Rodgers lost his first-choice goalkeeper at the end of May after Joe Hart officially retired from professional football upon the expiry of his contract.
The former England international enjoyed three years at Parkhead and won the Scottish Premiership title in each of those three campaigns before his departure this summer.
Hart's exit from Glasgow has left a gaping hole between the sticks for the Bhoys ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and it is one that they must fill before the opening match against Kilmarnock.
Kilmarnock
(H)
Hibernian
(A)
St Mirren
(A)
Rangers
(H)
Hearts
(H)
The Bhoys have already been linked with Newcastle United's Martin Dubravka, Belgium international Koen Casteels, Burnley's Arijanet Muric, and Aston Villa's Viljami Sinisalo.
Despite all of these established links, the Scottish giants have been urged to pursue a goalkeeper who has been in sensational form at the 2024 European Championship in Germany.
Celtic urged to pursue Euros star
Former Premier League shot-stopper and current pundit Paul Robinson has tipped the Premiership champions to enter the race for Valencia star Giorgi Mamardashvili, speaking to Football Insider.
The retired goalkeeper has named the Georgia international as someone the club should target if they decide to "push the boat out" and splash cash on a new number one.
Robinson claims that the 23-year-old sensation would be a "statement" signing for the Hoops due to his fantastic form in LaLiga last season and in the current Euros tournament.
The ex-Blackburn Rovers man adds that he could see Celtic "hijacking" Newcastle United's interest in the left-footed colossus, as the Premier League side are interested in a deal to sign him.
It was recently reported that Valencia are looking for a fee in the region of €35m (£30m) to allow their star stopper to depart, with Bayern Munich and Chelsea also said to be eyeing him up.
As Robinson explains, Celtic would need to push the boat out to land him as their current transfer record stands at the £9m they paid to sign Odsonne Edouard from PSG in the summer of 2018.
It, therefore, seems unlikely that the Hoops would be prepared to spend £30m, or close to it, to sign a goalkeeper to replace Hart this summer.
Would it be a good move for the Scottish giants, though, as a replacement for Hart? To Robinson's credit, it does appear as though it would be a 'statement' signing as a dream heir to the former England international, on paper at least.
Giorgi Mamardashvili's Euros form
Firstly, Celtic fans may have taken notice of his exceptional performances for Georgia in Germany in recent weeks, as his performances have helped his country into the knockout stages of the European Championship.
His performance in the second game of the group stages against Czechia was particularly impressive as the Valencia star produced miracles between the sticks.
Sofascore rating
9.8
Saves
11
xG prevented
3.0
Goals conceded
1
Punches
3
As you can see in the table above, he conceded a staggering three goals fewer than the average goalkeeper would have been expected to based on the xG of the shots against his goal.
His stunning 11 saves helped his team to earn a 1-1 draw and he followed that up with 0.52 xG prevented and a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Portugal in the final group match, to seal qualification for the last 16.
In total, Mamardashvili has saved 84% of the shots against him and prevented 3.58 xG across his three appearances so far in the competition for Georgia, making 21 saves in total.
These statistics show that the £30m-rated titan has been an outstanding shot-stopper for his country in Germany, which may be why the likes of Newcastle, Chelsea, and Bayern are all reportedly interested in signing him ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
However, it is now just his international form that has caught the eye of teams and caused Robinson to urge Celtic to sign him. His superb performances for Valencia in LaLiga last term suggest that he could be a phenomenal signing for the Hoops.
Why Giorgi Mamardashvili would be a dream Joe Hart heir
The 23-year-old brute enjoyed a wonderful campaign in the Spanish top-flight as he proved himself to be an xG defying goalkeeper on a consistent basis.
Over the course of 37 appearances in LaLiga, Mamardashvili conceded a whopping 10.2 fewer goals than expected based on the post-shot xG value of the efforts on his goal.
For reference, Hart let in 6.5 more goals than expected based on the post-shot xG value of the shots against him across 19 outings in European competitions for Celtic during his time in Scotland.
This suggests that he was a liability as a shot-stopper on the continent, as he conceded far more than expected, whilst Mamardashvili could come in and exceed expectations with his ability to keep the ball out of the net.
Appearances
37
37
Sofascore rating
7.09
6.85
Save success rate
72%
68%
Ball recoveries per game
8.3
7.5
Ground duel success rate
88%
40%
Aerial duel success rate
91%
100%
As you can see in the table above, the Georgia international also outperformed Hart at league level in a host of key metrics, including save percentage and ball recoveries.
At the age of 23, the talented titan is also 14 years younger than the former Manchester City star and would come in as a player with the potential to be Rodgers' number one for years to come, or to make the club even more money as part of a future sale.
Therefore, Mamardashvili would be a dream heir to Hart's position at Parkhead due to both his age and his quality, yet it still appears to be unlikely on paper.
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Despite Robinson's suggestion, the money reportedly involved and the top European clubs interested in him does not suggest that the Euros ace is likely to pitch up at Paradise this summer.
