Viljami Sinisalo has no plans to give up Celtic's No 1 shirt, despite the club's search for another goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old Finn is resolute in his determination to remain Celtic's first choice, even as Blackburn's Balazs Toth and Southampton keeper Gavin Bazunu are being linked with moves to Parkhead.
Celtic's manager, Martin O’Neill, has acknowledged the need for another option between the posts. Sinisalo said: "I’ve no reason to think otherwise.
"Competition brings the best out of players, but I’m not really fussed who gets brought in. It’s the same for any player. I’ve got the shirt, and I’ve said it many times, I want to keep it.
"I’ve got no intention of letting go of that because I’ve worked so hard to get it."
Sinisalo, who joined Celtic from Aston Villa two years ago following a loan spell at Exeter City, initially arrived as back-up to Kasper Schmeichel. He has since established himself as a key player for the club.
Read more
-
Celtic in 'advanced' transfer talks to sign World Cup breakout star
-
Celtic star reveals ultras connection as diehards back their on-field comrade
-
After experiencing European nights in the stands, my Celtic 'dream' has come true
Sinisalo revealed he had discussions with manager O’Neill and his coaching staff during Celtic’s pre-season trip to Portugal. He said: "I wanted to speak to everyone at the club to try and see what they think I can do better.
"Ultimately, I want to be a goalie that wins games for this club. If I can listen to people who have seen goalies do that here, why would I not want to take that on board?
"So I’ve spoken with them all and kind of set targets on what I want to do and what they want to see from me."
Sinisalo remains committed to learning and improving, acknowledging he still has much to learn as a young keeper. He said: "I’ve never wanted to go about my career and just watch others play.
"There was always this plan, and I understood at the time that I was a 22-year-old goalkeeper coming from League One down south. You can’t just expect to walk into a big club like this. It doesn’t work like that.
"You’ve got to earn it, play well in the big pressurised situations and prove yourself. You constantly have to do that as a young keeper. So I’ve still got a lot to learn, and I understand that.
"But I’m here to do that and hopefully get better as I go."
