Celtic have completed six signings in just over 24 hours, but manager Martin O’Neill has indicated the club could continue strengthening before the Scottish Premiership transfer deadline.
The Hoops added four loan players before Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over Aberdeen, with Danish midfielder Oliver Sorensen and Chelsea striker Shim Mheuka both making their debuts as substitutes during the Scottish Premiership match.
Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was named among the substitutes, while another Chelsea player, 18-year-old left-back Landon Emenalo, has also joined the club. Emenalo is several weeks away from being fit to play.
After the win over Aberdeen, Celtic confirmed the arrivals of 19-year-old midfielder Joel van den Berg from PSV Eindhoven and Swiss right-back Jordan Lotomba.
Van den Berg has signed a four-year contract, while 27-year-old Lotomba has agreed a deal running until the end of the season. Both transfers were completed shortly before the 23:00 deadline on Wednesday for registering players for UEFA competitions.
Celtic now have limited room for further overseas additions to their Europa League squad. However, the club could still bring in more players before the Scottish Premiership registration deadline at 17:00 on Thursday.
The Scottish club have been linked with a possible move for Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis.
Celtic created additional space in their squad on Tuesday night by allowing Johnny Kenny and Reo Hatate to leave on permanent transfers. Kenny joined Preston, while Hatate moved to Burnley.
O’Neill said the late arrivals would strengthen his squad, while also making clear that Celtic would remain open to further business even if a new signing could not be registered for European competition.
“I’m very pleased that they’re in the door. I think that they’ll definitely add something to us.
“Honestly I am pleased, the transfer window is there and I’m pleased that we have done what we have because there’s quite a few who have left the football club.
“Reo’s gone and Johnny Kenny has gone, I wish them all the best and so we need people in. Even if they miss the European deadline, if there is a possibility of getting someone else in, I would definitely want to do that if we can.”
The six players who have arrived in September come in addition to Celtic’s earlier summer recruits: Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan.
The latest activity represents a significant late surge in recruitment as O’Neill reshapes the squad following the departures of Hatate and Kenny. Celtic’s immediate challenge is to balance the need for further reinforcements with the restrictions on overseas players in their Europa League squad, before Thursday’s domestic deadline brings the window to a close.
