With Celtic’s manager Martin O’Neill on the lookout for new talent to enhance his squad as the January transfer window continues to unfold. Julian Araujo Portrait on June 8, 2022 Julian Araujo is the latest addition to the squad. He came on loan and will remain with us the rest of the season. Key players have been rendered moot with injuries, like wing-foot maestro Jota, who is expected to miss the rest of the season. With this in mind, O’Neill is keen to make further signings.
Jota’s injury details remain undisclosed, but his absence significantly impacts the team’s offensive options. Cameron Carter-Vickers is still out with injury. This unexpected situation has made O’Neill’s job much tougher, as now he must find suitable replacements for both Auston Trusty and Liam Scales. In a strategic move, Celtic recalled Stephen Welsh from his loan at Motherwell, where he made 17 appearances before returning.
O’Neill stated, “We are genuinely working really hard in the background, so there’s no impediment in that sense. It’s just trying to get some people in that we think could help us now, at least until the end of the season.” His willingness to improve the starting lineup shows an aggressive mindset in addressing pressing priorities.
Celtic does have a loan deal for Araujo in place at the moment. Looking ahead, O’Neill has publicly stated his intentions to sign new players, with a striker on the shortlist. The manager acknowledged the complexities involved in securing players, mentioning, “You’re talking about agreements with clubs, you’re talking about if that’s the case for a start, number one, and then secondly with players themselves, and then people finding out that, or players finding out that there’s interest elsewhere.”
Now, that position has turned urgent. Even though he’s expecting Alistair Johnston to regain his match fitness by mid-March, O’Neill is for now prioritizing beefing up the front line. His time as former director of football at Leicester City gives us a unique perspective on how transfers play into the broader intricacies of the market.
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