Two Scottish outlets have provided a transfer update on the Celtic hunt for a defender this month after a serious injury sustained by Christopher Jullien.
The Frenchman collided with the frame of the goal in a recent match against Dundee United. He has been ruled out of action for four months.
It’s a bitter blow to Neil Lennon’s options. It’s no surprise to hear the club are looking for a January replacement.
Filip Benkovic has already been linked but both The Daily Record and The Scottish Sun report he is just one of several potential defensive arrivals at Celtic Park this month.
Multiple options are being considered.
The Scottish Sun go a step further and suggest all of the options are on a loan basis.
The Record also reported that Celtic didn’t even bid for Genk defender Mark McKenzie before his switch to Belgium from Philadelphia Union.
Stopgap Celtic solution
Despite there being an urgent need for Celtic to build ahead for the future, the club intends to cover Jullien’s injury in a stopgap fashion.
It sounds like our greatest expectation this month is to sign a defender on loan.
I understand it’s difficult to recruit quality players in January – especially looking down the barrel of a title defeat.
However, it would be great to see the club invest in a player that can be bedded in for summer European qualifiers.
This planning is something that has been lacking at the club in recent years. For me, it’s part of the reason we find ourselves backed into a corner right now.
We obviously have to wait and see how January pans out, but hopefully, we’re not left with regrets in February.
I already feel like not moving for McKenzie will come back to haunt us.
In other news, Celtic have confirmed a fixture change after UEFA stepped in.
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