Celtic now have in the ranks Lewis Morgan to add to the early January transfer window capture of Marvin Compper – who else could the Hoops sign before the end of January?
Brendan Rodgers’ side quite obviously needed the winter break rest after a busy first half of the season ended with some poor and unimpressive performances.
That break will also allow the Scottish giants to sign some new players for the second half of the season, but Morgan’s won’t be one of those after being immediately sent back on loan to St Mirren.
So, along with Compper, who could arrive at the Celtic Park this month and make an impact this season for the Hoops. Football Weeks look at four alternative options that they may want to sign this window:
TIM KRUL
Craig Gordon was quite in brilliant performance for Celtic in the 0-0 draw with Rangers, showing a master-class saves to deny James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos, so there’s no denying the his quality between the sticks. But is the 35-year-old fit for the style of play Rodgers wants to play? Celtic faithfuls are never shy in criticising the Scottish goalie’s distribution with the ball at his feet and we can see the reason for that. So maybe a move for another replacement is on the cards this month. Tim Krul would definitely be an ideal signing given he’s number two at Brighton right now and six months away from his contract expiring. Krul would be a cheap alternative and, at six years younger than Gordon, Krul would be a better long-term option for the club.
JOHN MCGINN
McGinn showed in Celtic’s 2-2 draw with Hibs last month that he’s more than a match for the midfielders currently in Rodgers’ team and the talk around his future and a possible move to the Hoops should continue this month. If the club have their eye on a long-term replacement for Scott Brown, then I believe moving in for McGinn could be that man. Significantly, McGinn contract’s at Ester Road ends at the end of next season so Hibs are running out of time to get a return on him.
BRAHIM DIAZ
Tom Rogic’s injury problems make him an unreliable number 10 for Celtic – and, without him, the club have struggled to produce telling final balls in big games so far this season. So perhaps some new signings at that position would make sense in January? Celtic have close contacts with Manchester City, as seen with the signings of Jason Denayer, Dedryck Boyata and Patrick Roberts over recent years. Diaz is a talented playmaker who has been on the fringes of Pep Guardiola’s team this season, but looks like he’d benefit from more playing time in a team playing good football. Celtic could definitely assure him of that.
PETAR STOJANOVIĆ
Mikael Lustig showed in the 0-0 draw with Rangers that he does still struggle when placed under pressure with the ball at his feet and that adds to a long-term feelings, for some, that right back is a position the Hoops could do better in. Cristian Gamboa was brought in to help strengthen the team, but that hasn’t worked out, while injury has stopped Anthony Ralston from making an impact in the tram. In terms of options for new signings, Stojanovic could interest due to his reputation as one of Slovenia’s top talents. He is already a national team player and is one of Dinamo Zagreb’s best youngsters.