Published Jul 16, 2026, 7:47 PM GMT+1

Emilio is an experienced football journalist who has worked at Football FanCast for over six years.

After graduating with first-class honours from the University of Central Lancashire in 2019, it didn't take long for Emilio to clinch his first job in journalism at Snack Media, now Valnet.

Emilio has written for a host of the company's biggest past and current football news websites - Vital Football, The Transfer Tavern and Football FanCast. 

Emilio's strengths include the intricacies of football transfers, while he particularly enjoys writing about the business side of football. He has covered Tottenham Hotspur on a weekly basis for a number of years now, developing a deep understanding of the culture and what Lilywhites fans engage with.

In his spare time, you can find Emilio travelling the world, or even in a boxing ring.

Replacing Kasper Schmeichel was never going to be easy, but Horkas has quietly built an impressive reputation in Spain.

At 27, he combines experience with years still ahead of him, and his commanding style looks far better suited to O'Neill's demands than gambling on another inexperienced option.

It is easy to understand why the Croatian has climbed so high on the shortlist.

Last season, Horkas established himself as one of the Segunda División's standout goalkeepers, recording 14 clean sheets in 41 league appearances while helping Las Palmas challenge for promotion.

Beyond the statistics, he impressed with his command of the penalty area, calm distribution and ability to organise the defence in front of him.

Those qualities have inevitably attracted attention from clubs across Europe, including the Scottish champions.

Celtic in pole position to sign Dinko Horkas ahead of Hull City

According to reports from La Provincia, relayed by Sport Witness, Celtic have emerged as the "biggest contender" to sign Horkas from Las Palmas.

The Bhoys are said to have lodged one of the strongest offers for the goalkeeper, with reports, as relayed by La Provincia themselves, suggesting a bid worth around £6 million has been made.

Newly-promoted Premier League side Hull City are interested as well, but the Spanish newspaper sense Celtic are currently leading the race as the player waits for his future to be resolved.

The timing makes perfect sense.

Celtic have spent much of the summer searching for a long-term solution between the posts following Schmeichel's retirement.

They explored moves for Hertha Berlin's Tjark Ernst before the German completed a transfer elsewhere, leaving Horkas among the leading candidates to take over as Rodgers' new number one.

Hull's interest means Celtic cannot afford to become complacent, but negotiating with the Spanish club may prove the hardest part.

That leaves Celtic with an important decision over how far they are prepared to stretch financially.