Celtic have confirmed their Europa League squad for the season, with multiple new signings missing out on the latter stages of European football.
Martin O'Neill had the difficult decision to choose which three new players to register for the Europa League, and he eventually decided on two attackers and one defender. This was predicted, so it won't come as a surprise to many.
Free agent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to sign for the Celts, but sadly, the deal was not completed in time to register the midfielder. That fact almost made the transfer not happen, but the former Liverpool man was happy to settle for domestic football during his six-month deal.
The full Celtic Europa League squad for VfB Stuttgart clash
Between the sticks: Kasper Schmeichel, Viljami Sinisalo and Ross Doohan. No changes, as expected.
At the back: Alistair Johnston, Liam Scales, Austin Trusty, Marcelo Saracchi, Reo Hatate, Dane Murray, Anthony Ralston, Kieran Tierney, and Julian Aurajo. Aurajo comes in the squad after signing in the winter transfer window. The fullback has been in form and is certainly deserving of his place.
In the middle of the park: Luke McCowan, Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor, and Benjamin Nygren. No changes to the midfield either, with Oxlade-Chamberlain missing out.
Up front: Yang, James Forrest, Kelechi Iheanacho, Daizen Maeda, Sebastian Tounekti, Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu. Cvancara and Adamu come in to provide cover, as Osmand, Kenny and Balikwisha drop out.
Cvancara has quickly become a player the fans love, with the Czech impressing in the two appearances he has made for the Hoops. We are yet to see Adamu play, but he has done enough to convince O'Neill that he is deserving of a Europa League spot. The player can play as a striker and a winger, proving his versatility.
Good options, and expected changes
The finalised Europa League squad will surely please Celtic fans. Although we are all disappointed that Joel Mvuka, Benjamin Arthur and Oxlade-Chamberlain had to miss out, they will hopefully be able to find their feet domestically during the intense run of fixtures at the end of February, going into March.
Balikwsiha drops out of the squad for good reason. Since signing from Royal Antwerp for £5 million in the summer, the winger has had a disastrous start to his Celtic career, and it seems that he has completely fallen out of favour. This could spell the end of the winger's career at Celtic, as it seems unlikely that he would be utilised in domestic games, even though he is an option.
If Celtic want to move the DR Congo international on in the summer, just a year after he joined, they will likely have to settle for a much lower fee than what they paid for him. Of course, a brand new manager is coming in, and for all we know, he could turn Balikwisha's form on its head. Football is a funny game, so although this looks like the end of the road for the winger, his Celtic career may have some life in it.