Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal moves to St Johnstone on emergency loan
The Czech stopper has agreed to a seven-day switch to the Perth side and immediately go into their squad for this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with St Mirren on Sunday.
Callum Davidson’s men, who are going after a cup double, are without four first-team players after a Covid-19 outbreak. Two members of the squad tested positive while two were instructed to self-isolate by track-and-trace government officials.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdStarting goalkeeper Zander Clark, who played a starring role in the quarter-final win over Rangers, missed last week’s match at Easter Road with a toe injury but is expected to be fit.
St Johnstone announced the signing on Twitter: “The Club have today completed the emergency 7-day loan signing of @JamTarts goalkeeper, Zdeněk Zlámal. We are extremely grateful to @JamTarts for turning this around on such short notice.”
This is the second time this season Zlamal has joined a Scottish Premiership club on a seven-day emergency loan deal. The 35-year-old played three times for St Mirren earlier in the campaign for league matches against Hibs, Celtic and Dundee United. The Buddies lost all three games, though Zlamal did save a penalty from Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard in the 2-1 defeat in Paisley.
The 2018 summer signing dropped to third-choice in the pecking order this season at Tynecastle with the return of Craig Gordon and the arrival of Ross Stewart on loan from Livingston. Zlamal is expected to leave the club when his contract expires next month.
Message from the editor
Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.