The three players that Celtic must find loans for in January

Add as preferred source on Google

Celtic have had their struggles this season, but Neil Lennon still has a very talented squad, with real depth, at his disposal.

Most positions in the team are well-stocked after a pretty busy summer transfer window.

It’s far from a perfect group of players, but there is genuine competition for places.

When it comes to some young talents training with the first-team, the competition is so fierce that they barely have a chance of earning a substantial amount of minutes this season.

Lennon has already sent players such as Vakoun Bayo, Jack Hendry, Marian Shved, Lee O’Connor, Scott Robertson and Jonathan Afolabi out on loan due to their lack of first-team prospects.

With no reserve football this season and a dearth of available friendlies in the age of pandemic, other talents aren’t getting the benefit of regular football right now.

Celtic must try to find loans for these three in January.

Ewan Henderson

Henderson hasn’t played for the Bhoys since coming off the bench against FK Sarajevo in 2019, spending time on loan at Ross County last season.

However, he is still in and around the first-team squad and has been an unused substitute throughout our October matches vs Rangers, AC Milan, Lille and Sparta Prague.

Lennon must be seeing something he likes in training, even if the youngster hasn’t managed to win any minutes.

Now 20, he’s at a critical age in his development and really needs to playing regularly at a decent level to reach the next level.

That’s clearly not going to happy at the Bhoys this season.

His appearances at the end of the 2018/19 season were fascinating but the next 18 months will undoubtedly be make-or-break for him at Celtic.

Luca Connell

Connell is another central midfielder who has caught the eye of Celtic supporters over the last 18 months, despite not playing in a competitive match yet.

He impressed in summer friendlies, particularly against Hibernian, and looks to have the on-the-ball quality needed to succeed at a team like the Bhoys.

Unfortunately, the midfield area is just too packed with experienced players right now. Although he’s training every day with the senior squad, it would be a major surprise if he got meaningful playing time between now and the end of the season.

That’s no disgrace, and the player still loves life at Lennoxtown, but he really needs more senior football under his belt at 19 years of age.

A January loan move would be fantastic for him.

Karamoko Dembele

Dembele’s situation is perhaps the most puzzling for Celtic fans.

He signed a professional contract with the club in 2018, which is due to expire next summer, yet there haven’t been any significant updates on his situation from the club or the manager in recent months.

Do we have an option to extend that by a year or is he truly on the verge of an exit?

Still only 17, there is absolutely no rush when it comes to the teenager, but it would be nice to see him get starting opportunities at some point over the next 12 months, even if it’s not at Celtic.

Tying him down to a new contract and sending him out on loan in January would be a real signal of intent from the club, although that may be easier said than done if teams from big European leagues have their eye on him.