Celtic’s summer transfer window ended without the arrival of a right-winger.
Despite the departure of Nicolas Kuhn to Como and a long-term injury to Jota, the Hoops weren’t able to directly replace the German.
Brendan Rodgers has broken his silence on the transfer window after an agonising wait for his thoughts during the international break – and his comments didn’t disappoint.
Fans will protest at the match against Kilmarnock, with patience for the board wearing thin. But had a right-winger been signed, there may have been slightly less outrage at the window.
And now, one winger who was linked with a move to Celtic late in the window has finally decided his destination – and it has come as a surprise to many.
Celtic target makes shock transfer to Turkey
It’s no secret that when the clock ticks into the late stages of the window, Celtic start to look towards the loan market.
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In the final week of the window, they joined Rangers in the race for Crystal Palace winger and England youth international Jeserun Rak-Sakyi, according to Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph.
The left-footed forward, who spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, saw intense competition for his position at Crystal Palace limit his opportunities.
The 22-year-old has also spent time on loan at Charlton Athletic, and reportedly had interest from throughout Europe.
He has now completed his move, two weeks on from the window shutting for most leagues – and Turkey is the destination, where he will play for Caykur Rizespor.
The move certainly comes as a surprise – potentially a case of a failure to secure his preferred move before the deadline, before scrambling to move somewhere where the window hadn’t shut yet.
Regardless, his performances this season will be fascinating to see – will he show Celtic what they’re missing out on?
Who will play as Celtic’s right-winger against Kilmarnock?
Celtic began the season with Yang Hyun-Jun and James Forrest as their only two natural right-winger options.
This was obviously a challenge for Rodgers. Benjamin Nygren has had to fill in on the right flank on several occasions, despite this not being his preferred position.
Kelechi Iheanacho’s arrival will allow Daizen Maeda to move back to the left-wing position, but there are quite a few options there for Rodgers now.
Could we see Michel-Ange Balikwisha fill in on the right, or deadline-day signing Sebastian Tounekti? We will find out on Sunday.
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