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Benji Siegrist will thrive if he secures a marquee move this summer, according to former Dundee United teammate Deniz Mehmet.
Mehmet, 28, had the onerous task of battling Siegrist for the gloves at Tannadice for the last two seasons, with his sole opportunity to shine coming when the Dutchman suffered a fractured hand in April.
Despite that set-back, Siegrist was named United’s 2020/21 player of the year and players’ player of the year, while he made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Scottish Premiership last term.
Little wonder, then, that Ipswich Town have sought to snap him up, seeing a six-figure bid rejected earlier this summer. Celtic have also been credited with an interest in the player.
United have so far played hardball regarding the availability of Siegrist, who is in the final year of his contract, but are likely to see their resolve tested more sternly as the summer progresses.
“Benji is a good goalkeeper and had a terrific season last year,” lauded Mehmet. “He deserves 100 per cent of the credit for his performances and the amount of saves he made.
“It speaks volumes that he got player of the season at Dundee United — rightly so — and showed real consistency through the campaign.
⚽️ #TOTW GK
👤 @BenSiegrist92🗣️ “Siegrist pulled off a litany of saves, including three excellent denials from Odsonne Edouard, David Turnbull and Stephen Welsh.”
Read it 👉 https://t.co/xsPWfXEhk3#SPFL | @dundeeunitedfc pic.twitter.com/0SgEcpWzVJ
— SPFL (@spfl) March 9, 2021
“If anything does happen, then I’ve no doubt he will be a success wherever he goes next.”
Having previously played in League One with Port Vale — the division occupied by Siegrist’s recent suitors Ipswich Town — Mehmet added: “It’s a tough league, from my time down there.
“Technically, it is a good league because you have some players from the top leagues coming toward the end of their careers, younger talented players on loan from some massive clubs.
“You add in the physical side of that and some of the he clubs playing at that level, it would be a real challenge but I’ve no doubt he’d handle that.”
Mehmet, however, is adamant there is no chance of ice-cool Siegrist being spooked by the speculation which has become commonplace over the last year — insisting he will remain focused until there is a decision to be made.
“I don’t think he’ll be fazed by the speculation and transfer talk,” added Mehmet, who joined Dunfermline last week.
“That’s a trait you need to have as a footballer — you can’t let things like that affect you and you can’t discuss all the ins and outs of what is happening.
“I’m sure he’ll be staying calm and sensible, keeping a lid on everything until something concrete materialises — if it does.”
Deniz Mehmet interview: Why I had to swap Dundee United for Dunfermline
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