Celtic have until today to make new signings before they register their side for the Champions League play-off fixture with Kairat Almaty.
The Parkhead club are two games away from entering the lucrative Champions League group stage and the Kazakhstani club stand in their way.
With no real transfer links or clues to run off, it looks like Celtic fans are facing a day of disappointment if they were expecting the club to add a new player before the deadline runs out.
However, there is a little-known UEFA rule that fans are probably not aware of and it could give the Celtic board a bit of breathing space in regards to strengthening before the big play-off tie.
How Celtic can register two more players 24 hours before Kairat Almaty tie
According to UEFA, clubs can register an additional two players 24 hours before the first leg of their play-off tie as long as one condition is met.
Rule 31.10 from the official UEFA website states, “For the qualifying phase and the play-offs, a club may register a maximum of two new eligible players on List A after the above-mentioned deadlines, provided the quota of locally trained players is respected.
“This registration must be completed by 24:00 CET the day before the relevant first-leg match and the club’s association must confirm in writing that the new player is currently eligible to play at domestic level.
“If the registration of a new player causes the number of players on List A to exceed 25, the club must remove a player registered previously to reduce the number of players on the list to 25 again.”
That is good news for Celtic but in all honesty, it’s not ideal if the Parkhead club are scrambling to register a player 24 hours before the biggest game of the season.
Current Celtic transfer rumours
There have been absolutely no transfer rumours in circulation about Celtic over the last 24 hours or so.
Brendan Rodgers has been vocal about the need to strengthen Celtic ahead of the new season but since Jamaih Simpson-Pusey was signed from Man City, all transfer talk appears to have died.
It looks like Celtic will head into the Kairat clash with the current group of players in what seems like a risky strategy by the club.
Hopefully, Celtic will be strong enough to see Kairat off and book their place amongst UEFA’s elite clubs. If not, the board will come under some serious pressure from the Hoops support.
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