Celtic had a tough deadline day this January as they failed to land a striker after shipping out Kyogo.
Kyogo made it clear he wanted to leave last year and Brendan Rodgers allowed him to move to Rennes in a £10million deal.
That piled more cash into the club coffers but the Hoops failed to deliver Rodgers’ priority position with just left-back challenger Jeffrey Schlupp arriving on loan.
Fans had their say on Celtic’s transfer work after the likes of David Strelec failed to materialise and Mathias Kvistgaarden was not brought to Parkhead.
Odsonne Edouard was even named as a possible option as he has sat in Leicester City’s squad twiddling his thumbs since making his loan switch from Crystal Palace.
It means Adam Idah is the only recognised first-team hitman at the club even if Daizen Maeda can play up front.
The window may now be closed but there are always freebie opportunities for clubs to consider.
Granted, Rodgers and Celtic do not often make use of this market and the likelihood is that 67 Hail Hail are getting a tad carried away with our desire for the club to find a Kyogo replacement – even in the short-term.
We have done some research on the free agent market and there are some names Celts could do worse than at least bring in for six months before spending big in the summer on a permanent move.
Here, we take a look at seven options…
Johnny Russell
We will start with a man who knows Celtic so well and even at his age, 34, would still love to play for his boyhood team.
Russell left Kansas City after six years recently and received a poignant send-off as the MLS club loved the former Dundee United hitman.
He notched 67 goals for the club in more than 200 appearances and was still hitting the trail as recently as 2024 before picking up an injury.
A bit on the older side, sure, but in the Premiership he could do a job and replace Adam Idah when necessary to keep the Irishman available for big Champions League games.
Wissam Ben Yedder
Another player coming towards the end of his career, the 34-year-old would be another short-term fix.
He has cost almost £50million throughout and most recently departed AS Monaco at the end of his contract in 2024.
Even in his most recent season before exiting Ligue 1 he smashed in 20 goals from 34 matches at a high level.
Earned 19 caps for France.
Diego Costa
We’re starting to see a pattern here in the older players but, again, Costa is an established, experienced player who has scored plenty of goals in the Premier League and against Rodgers teams.
He’s 36 now, granted, but he is available for five months after leaving Gremio in Brazil.
One more crack at Champions League with Celtic and the opportunity to cause a ruckus against Rangers would surely be enticing.
We would certainly enjoy that.
Fiery Costa has 199 professional goals under his belt and would be an entertaining short-term move, that’s for sure.
Gerard Deulofeu
The former Watford and Udinese attacker is still only 30 and has played against Rodgers sides in the past, like Costa.
He is nursing a knee injury so is perhaps one of the less likely options but if he can shake it off he would be a decent acquisition for a few months.
Deulofeu has scored some big goals in the Premier League with the likes of Everton and is an established name already.
Would be an intriguing thought but only if the former Barcelona youth player can gain his fitness back.
Jaroslaw Niezgoda
Has 88 goals in 250 plus matches throughout his career but he is 29, maybe still in his prime and has played for some decent teams at a respectable level.
Most recently departed Portland in the MLS, he previously turned out for Legia Warsaw from whom Celtic have signed players in the past most notably Artur Boruc and Josip Juranovic.
Has never played Champions League football which could be a switch-off but he could do a job domestically at least.
Maxi Gomez
The 28-year-old is available having left Trabzonspor at the end of his contract.
He is a proven goal scorer at all levels with the likes of Valencia, Celta Vigo and the Turkish giants and has history in the UCL.
He played in the elite competition with Valencia against Chelsea and Ajax as well as Lille when he provided his solitary assist in a 4-1 win.
Still at an age to make a mark.
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