Celtic great nods to ‘strong and athletic’ Hoops star who arrived with ‘no fanfare’ but has shone

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Celtic’s January transfer deadline day came and went this year with a bit of a whimper.

Fans were frustrated with no striker arriving after Kyogo had been sold and it left a bitter taste in their mouths with the amount of money sitting in Celtic’s coffers.

Little did the punters know at the time how well Daizen Maeda would show up as a lone frontman option but it was a disappointing end to the January window nonetheless for Brendan Rodgers.

One player who did join on February 3 was Jeffrey Schlupp who has been a strong option at left-back since he made his debut against Dundee a few days later.

Schlupp had fans interested at least and they reacted to his arrival to challenge Greg Taylor at left-back after it was confirmed that Kieran Tierney would not join in the same window.

• READ MORE: ‘Oh my word’- Defender told Celtic will ‘put a deal in place’ to sign him for next season

Pat Bonner hailed Jeffrey Schlupp for arriving at Celtic ‘to no big fanfare’

For Pat Bonner – speaking on BBC Sportsound over the weekend – the Ghana international has proven to be a strong signing for Celtic on loan from Crystal Palace.

And although he arrived “to no fanfare”, Schlupp has come up trumps for the Scottish Premiership giants.

“Did Schlupp’s move fly under the radar? It did, he came in with no big fanfare to be perfectly honest, but he’s getting right up there in match fitness and he looks pretty good,” Bonner said during Celtic’s 5-2 win over St Mirren.

“He’s strong, athletic, a good defender and he’s settling into the team really well.”

Schlupp is an experienced Premier League star and is established at that level with his experiences at the likes of Palace and Leicester City over the years.

He netted his first Celtic goal in Paisley against the Buddies with a stunner into the bottom corner to help the Hoops on their way to their three points.

Schlupp might have joined as a left-back but the player claims midfield might be his best position having been a bit of a utility man over his career.

What Brendan Rodgers said about future Schlupp transfer talks

Either way the 32-year-old has impressed and Rodgers is keen to sit down with Schlupp near the end of the season with a potential permanent deal on the cards.

Rodgers said: “I’ll have a chat with Jeffrey towards the latter part of the season.

“It was the case of him coming in and settling and getting to understand how he plays. I think we can all see he has that Premier League physicality and quality.

“He’s a guy that’s a top professional. That’s why he’s been in over a decade in the Premier League, because you have to look after yourself. You’ve got to have the right qualities, not only as a player but as a person.

“We knew what we were bringing in. I’m really happy for him, because he’s settled into the group really well now. Now he has a feeling for how he plays and what the role is.

“It gives us two really strong players to finish the season in that position.”