Tomas Cerny can understand why Ipswich Town keeper Vaclav Hladky is on Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin’s summer transfer radar.
However former Dons keeper Cerny reckons Joe Lewis can still be No.1 at Pittodrie next season.
Aberdeen boss Goodwin is understood to be keen on a loan move for Czech Republic stopper Hladky.
The 31-year-old is contracted to League One Ipswich until summer 2024.
Fellow Czech Cerny, who was at Aberdeen from 2018 to 2021, reckons Lewis is still one of the top keepers in Scotland.
Cerny said: “He (Hladky) did a good job at St Mirren before he moved on to England.
“I understand why the manager would want to bring somebody like that to Pittodrie.
“However I believe that Joe Lewis still has a lot to offer to the club.
“He has been a fantastic servant to Aberdeen.
“You saw at the end of the season that Joe was in great form again.
“Joe helped the team pick up a few more points that they might not have done otherwise.
“You have to remember Joe is still the club captain and is still one of the best goalkeepers in the country.”
Hladky impresses in England
After 18 months under Goodwin, keeper Hladky moved from St Mirren to English League Two side Salford in 2020.
A superb debut campaign saw Hladky secure Salford City’s Player of the Year award.
Hladky was also named in the League Two team of the year in his debut season at Salford.
That led to a move to Ipswich Town last summer for an undisclosed fee where he was initially first choice keeper for the first half of the season.
However he lost the No.1 jersey at Portman Road and has not played this year.
Goodwin is keen on securing Hladky but it is understood the keeper also has options in the Czech Republic.
Aberdeen boss Goodwin is rebuilding a squad that finished 10th in the Premiership.
It was the lowest Premiership finish by the Dons since 2004.
In October last year, Lewis was dropped for the first time since signing for the Dons in summer 2016 due to a loss of form.
When Lewis was replaced by Gary Woods for the 2-1 loss to Celtic on October 3 it ended a run of 234 consecutive starts in games he was available for.
Lewis was on the bench for just two games before reclaiming the No.1 jersey.
Aberdeen registered just seven clean sheets in 47 games in all competitions last season.
Aberdeen should be pushing for third
It was a dismal performance from a club Cerny believes should have been challenging Hearts for a third-placed finish.
Despite the paucity of clean sheets Cerny insists every player, not just Lewis and the defence, was culpable for a dismal campaign that forced a summer rebuild.
He said: “I just feel the levels dropped for everyone last season.
“I don’t think there are many players who can say they hit their top standards.
“Everybody was surprised by how last season went for Aberdeen.
“It is a club that wants to be successful and they should have been challenging Hearts for third spot.
“It was a disappointing season and there will be a lot of things to learn from.
“Next season has to be better to satisfy the fans and the expectations of everyone connected with the club.
“Aberdeen is a big club, the standards are high and were set before, always being in those top four positions.
“It was eight years in a row and that is something they will want to get back to in the future.”
Goodwin’s search for new signings
In an attempt to get back to the level of high Premiership finishes and European qualification Goodwin will rebuild the squad this summer.
Albanian international midfielder Ylber Ramadani is the first summer signing.
Ramadani joined on a three-year deal from Hungarian club MTK Budapest for a £100,000 fee.
Wigan midfielder Jamie McGrath and Wolves midfielder Connor Ronan are also on Goodwin’s wanted list for loan moves.
Hearts, who can guarantee European football until Christmas, are in pole position to secure Ronan.
Aberdeen are also set to step up a move to land Celtic’s left-sided defender Liam Scales.
The Dons are also reportedly targeting a swoop for soon-to-be-out-of-contract Blackburn Rovers midfielder Jacob Davenport.
Aberdeen have also enquired about St Mirren’s Charles Dunne but the Buddies have placed a £350,000 price tag on the left-sided defender.
‘Hard as nails’ Aberdeen manager
Cerny retired from football whilst at Aberdeen in January last year due to a long term knee injury.
The 37-year-old played alongside Goodwin at Hamilton and describes his former team-mate as “tough as nails” and a “leader”.
He believes Goodwin can deliver the required rebuild to get the Reds back on track.
Cerny said: “I used to play with Jim at Hamilton.
“I liked him as a player and he was a good guy to have in the dressing room.
“He was as tough as nails and wouldn’t let anyone get away with anything even in the training sessions.
“Jim was a leader on the pitch and it was no surprise to see him go into management.
“I hope he does well and turns things around for the next season.”
‘You have to live with your decisions’
Goodwin began his squad overhaul by wielding the axe with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Mikey Devlin’s contracts terminated.
Former captain Scott Brown, contracted until summer 2023, also left the club.
A deal for long-serving defender Andy Considine was also taken off the table after contract talks broke down.
Considine said an emotional farewell to fans in the final game of the season, a 0-0 draw with St Mirren at Pittodrie.
Also exiting Pittodrie were Dylan McGeouch, Funso King-Ojo and Michael Ruth.
Cerny says tough decisions had to be made by Goodwin in the bid to bring back success to the club.
He said: “Jim has come in and done things his own way.
“You can understand it because ultimately he knows he will be the one responsible for the results.
“He wants to do everything he can to shape the team the way he wants it.
“As a manager, you have to live with your decisions.
“People will be expecting him to lift things up and to get results early in the season.
“It will be a big rebuild this summer and interesting to see how quickly he can put a team together and to see it gel.
“The ambitions are there and I just hope they can meet those expectations.”
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