We are already nearing the halfway point in Celtic’s January transfer window…
And in a month widely described as an arms race in the title race, Martin O’Neill’s side have made just one signing… both of their title rivals have made multiple.
Worse still is that said signing – Julian Araujo – was completed under the watch of Wilfried Nancy, less than a week before he was sacked.
Jocelin Ta Bi was expected to follow Araujo, but issues with his medical have caused the deal to collapse. For the Hoops, it’s back to the drawing board.
And with O’Neill and his coaching staff essentially leading the club’s entire recruitment process, their priorities are being reported on.
Kieron Bowie to Celtic… yes or no?
Martin O’Neill’s Celtic January transfer priorities
O’Neill led the side to an excellent win on his return to interim charge against Dundee United.
If the team can keep playing to that level every week, January might not be so important… but evidence sadly suggests that they won’t.
READ MORE: Ally McCoist reveals why his son won’t be playing for Auchinleck Talbot vs Celtic
It’s understandable, therefore, that O’Neill has been so urgent in his comments about ‘supplementing’ the Celtic squad in press conference.
It doesn’t take a genius to identify the gaps in Celtic’s squad… but Sky Sports Journalist Anthony Joseph has confirmed the club’s three transfer priorities.
These are a striker, a right-sided central defender and a right-winger. Ta Bi would’ve ticked one of these boxes, had the deal gone ahead.
Instead, it’s back to the drawing board for O’Neill. The back end of January has some crucial fixtures in store, particularly over the last ten days.
Across that period, Celtic have a top-of-the-table clash with Hearts at Tynecastle sandwiched between two crucial European ties against Bologna and Utrecht.
Domestic football may feel like the priority at this moment, but four points from those two games would secure qualification. The importance of the Hearts fixture speaks for itself.
Would you sign a goalkeeper for Celtic in January?
Martin O’Neill on Celtic’s Stephen Welsh
Celtic recalled Stephen Welsh from Motherwell this week, and discussing this decision, O’Neill left the door open to the defender leaving again this month.
He told Celtic TV: “Well, at the moment. He’s enjoying himself immensely at Motherwell.
“We have this opportunity to do that and he could go back out again before the end of the window, back to Motherwell if he can.
“But I only had a chance here this morning just to say hello to him. Really in essence, we at this moment until we get some recruitments in, it’s needs must.
“As I said, we will see. But it’s just in case we have anything that happens to any of our defensive players. We’ve got three at the minute. We’ve got young Dane, who is very inexperienced in that sense, who I think can definitely be a player.
“I think there’s a player there.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
