New Celtic signing Ben Siegrist has insisted he won’t settle for playing second fiddle to No.1 Joe Hart.
The 30-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year contract to become Ange Postecoglou ’s third capture of the summer following the deals to sign Daizen Maeda and Cameron Carter-Vickers on permanent contracts. And the former Dundee United keeper immediately set his sights on proving he’ll provide a great deal more than just a highly paid back-up option for title winner Hart.
Siegrist is understood to have turned down a host of rival offers to sign up as Hart’s understudy. But, while he declined to comment when asked if Rangers had also attempted to lure him to Glasgow, he admitted the decision to opt for Celtic is based on confidence in his ability to become the club’s first choice keeper – rather than settling for a place on the bench.
He said: “You’ve pretty much answered your own question, yeah. That wouldn’t be me, I always look to better myself and improve. What can I do better, what can I learn and what can I work on? I felt like the best spot for me in my career, and my career chapter that led me to this point today, is to be a part of Celtic Football Club.”
But Siegrist accepts he could face a long battle to oust Hart from the position. He said: “I know there are no guarantees. There were no guarantees when I first came to Scotland four years ago.
“All I look forward to is the competition. It’s not a competition against somebody, it’s a competition with somebody. I look forward to competing with Joe, with Scott Bain, and working with the manager. I know the standing Joe has here. He’s a fantastic goalkeeper and a good person, from the little chats I’ve had with him. I’m buzzing to be in the team with him, honestly. It’s going to be really good. You know what the manager stands for. We don’t stop. That’s something that really excited me.
“Yes, of course. Everybody wants to play. Ultimately, we are all competitors and we have the confidence to back ourselves to play. But, like I said, for me it’s about more than just that. It’s not just a case of saying, ‘I want to come here and play,’. It’s about the togetherness here - you can feel it when you come here to play against Celtic. They are all in it together for the right reasons - they are all in it for the team and for the greater good.”
“Of course, the goalkeeping position is special. You can’t just come off the bench for 10 minutes and you know there is only one of you who can play in any game. But it’s the job of the other boys to support the keeper that is playing in that moment and I back myself to do the best I can, to bring my skills to the table.
“There are no guarantees anywhere in football but, like I said before, there weren’t any guarantees when I first came to Scotland and that turned out quite well so I’m very positive that I can have an impact here at this football club." But Siegrist was not so keen to discuss his long term links to Ibrox. When asked if he had received an offer to join Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side he replied sternly: “We’ll not talk about that.”
READ NEXT
