"I really must pay the bills one of these days," jokes Peter Latchford.

In a conversation lasting just shy of 20 minutes, we spend at least five of those second-guessing his reception. Even over the phone the former Celtic goalkeeper maintains the affable character that first endeared him to the Parkhead faithful over 50 years ago.

His phone signal is far from reliable, but his sharp wit and acute insight are as clear as day. Signed by the inimitable Jock Stein after a short loan spell from West Bromwich Albion in 1975, Latchford entered the Celtic fold in the long shadow cast by Ronnie Simpson.

The legendary Lisbon Lion had hung up his gloves after six stellar years at the top five years prior, but his replacements between the sticks in the interim had failed to match the presence of the 11-trophy-winning goalkeeper who'd helped his side lift club football's biggest prize: the European Cup in 1967.

Latchford, on the other hand, arrived in Glasgow's east end without a senior-level accolade to his name. But what he may have lacked in tangible honours, he more than made up for with the instant rapport he built with his new employer's fanbase – from first putting pen to paper in the mid-70s right through until his departure as a player after 12 years of service.

When the Englishman called time on his own career – with two Scottish league titles and three Scottish Cups in tow – he moved into coaching, eventually working with Forfar Athletic, Clyde, Hearts, Motherwell, Queen of the South, and Celtic where he helped develop the Glasgow club's youth players while also serving as the first-team's goalkeeping coach during Wim Jansen's single season as manager in 1997/98.

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To put all of that another way: in goalkeeping terms, Latchford has seen it all. He's been number one and he's coached number ones. He's helped establish the stars of the future, and he's helped push those above him in the pecking order on the training pitch.

The latter facet of his experience is one worth mining as Brendan Rodgers strives to replace the now-retired Joe Hart. So much has already been said about the interminable hole the veteran player leaves behind on and off the pitch at Celtic, but Latchford's insight as a strong number two paints a broader picture of the nuts and bolts that galvanise a winning goalkeeping team.

Despite being more than able of playing first-team football elsewhere, Latchford spent several years of his Celtic career as Packie Bonner's understudy. Scott Bain has likewise been at Parkhead since the 2018 January transfer window, and while surely capable of commanding a number 1 shirt elsewhere, he remains a constant figure behind the scenes.

"My case was a little different because I was a little bit older, but there are similarities," said Latchford. "Scott [Bain] is quite a young lad, he's definitely got a good few more years ahead of him.

"When Packie took over at Celtic, I was in my 30s. Billy [McNeill] was really good with me – he sat me down and explained to me why he wanted me to stay, which was to basically help out with a lot of the lads that were coming through. He did the same with Bobby Lennox, and the two of us for a number of years nurtured a few of the guys through the reserves and up.

"As a player, you're always looking to get your place back and have a go – sometimes it works out that way and sometimes it doesn't, that's just the way it is – but Billy made the case for keeping us and asking if I'd work with Bobby and help to pull people through the ranks.

"That ended up being players like Charlie Nicholas and Tommy Burns, and all those players that were coming through at the time. I was happy with that because where else do you go? Celtic were and still are massive.

"Even if I wasn't playing for them, there was always that draw around the place – whether that was the idea of getting back and playing again, or filling the role I was assigned. That part can be massive off the pitch, being a strong number two that helps the younger guys step up while pushing the number one for the betterment of the squad."

To that end, Latchford believes getting a strong number one through the door would be massive in settling Celtic's goalkeeping contingent – from goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods right down to the reserve players knocking on the door of the senior squad.

The Englishman likewise wholeheartedly understands the perceivable discomfort among supporters keenly awaiting new signings, but calls for patience as Rodgers and his staff conduct their business away from the public eye.

In modern football, so many variables can dictate long-term commitment, especially when relocation is involved.

"Woodsy and Brendan knew that Joe was going, so you must assume they've been working out the right player from that point," added Latchford. "But the modern game is all about: I like him, I want him, but can we afford him? Does he actually want to come here? There are so many things that can go wrong with that.

"That's where the negotiations come in. The wife gets involved, she says it's too cold in Scotland, bloomin' hell, there are a hundred and one things that could create problems. But when it comes down to it, you just have to be patient. You just don't know how long it's going to take.

"In my day, the manager did all the negotiations. You went and you talked to the manager. He did it. He did the whole deal, but it's not done like that anymore. There are the agents, the board, the executives, everyone. Both parties will do their homework, and Brendan will be going on a lot of advice from other people as well – especially Woodsy."

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Speculation is all that exists on the other side of the fence, of course. And barely a day has passed since the Scottish summer transfer window opened that Celtic haven't been linked with a different goalkeeper - the latest of which is Kasper Schmeichel. 

Latchford observes that attracting promising young talent is difficult in the face of the biggest clubs with the deepest pockets. The trappings of modern football mean that money now extends well beyond bank balances, spilling over into social media clout, lifestyle snapshots and frivolous entitlement.

"That's the difference today," Latchford said, "you can't just walk up to the best kid in the world and hope that he wants to come. Celtic are massive, but if they can't get someone in that region – at 22, 23, 24 – then maybe it's looking at an older, more established keeper who's further on in his career."

Hart, of course, fit that mould when he arrived at Celtic Park at 34 and retired on a high at 37 – and many of the goalkeepers who've graced the annals of social media chatter in the online lifetime since the transfer window opened are of similar stature.

Before our call drops for a third time, Latchford addresses the nature of transfer speculation in the modern age.

He added: "The media, traditional and social, was never there to that extent in my day. Thank god! We had a private life – but you don't have that now.

"If you're a modern player and you're in the media spotlight? Tough. Take the big bucks, you've got to accept that for, maybe, 10 years of your life.

"Fans are entitled to know what's going on, too. It's not the secret service, it's a football club!

"And they should be entitled to know about it. The other part of that is that the players have got to accept that and be open about it as well. To be fair, most of them do get on with it."

As many fans have already posited, the general feeling suggests it's now up to Celtic to apply that same sentiment to its transfer business. Starting, of course, with a goalkeeper.