Hoops link to Pole . . . but only if he is No.1
by
Ronnie Cully
CELTIC were today linked with a move for one-time Polish No1. keeper Wojciech Kowalewski, sparking fresh fears they may be willing to cash in on Artur Boruc.
Free agent Kowalewski - who previously played for Legia Warsaw, Shakhtar Donetsk and Spartak Moscow - claims to have been invited for a trial.
He would only be interested in joining the SPL champions if he was going to be first- choice keeper. But Celtic have made it clear they have no plans to cash in on their £15million-rated shot-stopper, Boruc.
In fact, anyone considering trying to tempt them to sell any of their other big-name stars - including Aiden McGeady and Scott McDonald - is wasting their time.
The Parkhead club are actively trying to buy new players, but will not sell any of their existing main men to fund this.
Sunderland and Newcastle have again been linked with McGeady, with Kevin Keegan reported to be ready to offer Charles N'Zogbia and £5m for the 22-year-old Player of the Year, while Roy Keane was an interested spectator at Celtic's game against Middlesbrough on Tuesday.
Everton continue to be reported to be considering making a move for McDonald, and Boruc is back in the sights of several clubs in Europe following his impressive displays at the recent European Championship Finals. In the last few months, Celtic have shrewdly tied all three down to long-term deals, and manager Gordon Strachan considers them major figures in his future planning for the team.
He wants to build an even stronger side around them, and hopes to make progress soon in his search for another central defender, holding midfield player and left-back.
The chances of recruiting Gabriel Tamas or Marko Basa appear to be receding due to wage demands, and alternative targets will again be examined.
The worldwide hunt for another left-back is now being focused much closer to home.
Bringing in another keeper - they sold No.3 Michael McGovern to Dundee United at the start of the transfer window - is well down the list of priorities.
Boruc is already supported by Mark Brown - who has reiterated he has no plans to move on - and Scott Fox.
Kowalewski has much more experience than any of the current keepers, and the 31-year-old is available on a free after escaping from his contract with Korona Kliece.
The man who was Legia's first choice when Boruc was a youngster there has endured a difficult time since the peak of his career at Spartak Moscow.
A bust-up with the president of the Russian club led to him being frozen out for more than a season before he finally got a move back to Poland last year with Korona.
But it was not Kowalewski's best season, and he only got into Poland's squad for Euro 2008 after original No.3, Man U's Tomasz Kuszczak, got injured.
He wants to get back to the top but knows playing second fiddle to Boruc at club and national level would not allow him to achieve this.
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