Celtic signed two fantastic players on loan in the summer of 2021, Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers. This time around, they tried to repeat the trick with Oliver Abildgaard, but that has not quite worked out, as he struggles to get into the first-team. There is value to be had in the loan market though, and some fantastic additions that the Hoops can make.
One player that they should have their eyes on is Chelsea youngster Carney Chukwuemeka. Having turned just 19 years of age last month, the Blues made a considerable investment to sign him from Aston Villa in the summer.
Chukwuemeka had already played quite a bit of senior football for Aston Villa, even at 18. And he was linked with the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United, before eventually making the move to Stamford Bridge.
He has not played a lot of football since then though. According to stats from Transfermarkt, Chukwuemeka has made 3 appearances and gotten 43 minutes of football this season for Chelsea. That is actually confusing, considering how Graham Potter’s side are sinking at the moment while the midfielder has looked like one of their liveliest players whenever he has been brought off the bench. That does open up the chance for a potential loan exit in January though.
Celtic should target fantastic Chelsea talent on loan this January
We saw the Rangers sign Amad on loan from Manchester United last January. And while it proved to be a flop, it was a high profile move nonetheless.
Celtic should try to pull something similar off when it comes to Chukwuemeka. He is a fantastic talent and there is a reason so many European giants wanted him.
We have seen Celtic’s midfield stretched with Callum McGregor out of action, someone like Chukwuemeka would solve that issue immediately. He has everything you can possibly ask for in terms of attributes. Yes, he would only be a short-term signing, but he can definitely make a contribution to this team.