Celtic don't need another Chelsea youngster on loan, they need players who can make a difference for years to come.
The Bhoys are being linked with a move for Chelsea youngster Kendry Paez, with TeamTalk claiming the Hoops are among a number of interested clubs in the 19-year-old.
Paez is a winger who was tipped for huge things as a youngster, and while they may yet be the case, he hasn't done particularly well in his two loan spells, at Strasbourg and River Plate.
But with nothing against Paez, another gap-filling youngster is not what Celtic need. The Bhoys put together a patchy summer transfer window that saw them ignore clear holes in their squad until the final days of the window, when they plugged gaps with the signings of young players like Joel van der Berg, Oliver Sorensen, Shim Mheuka and Landon Emenalo.
The last three are all loan deals, and the last two are loan deals from Chelsea, so it's clear Celtic already have a decent relationship with the Blues when it comes to taking on their talented kids.
Celtic haven't seen much of Emenalo, while Mheuka has looked okay in his rare showings.
The Hoops have clear gaps in this squad, and the midfield is the obvious area that needs addressing in the winter transfer window. They lost Arne Engels and Reo Hatate during the summer transfer window and didn't replace the former, in particular.
But what Celtic need to be looking at is senior players who can make a difference both in the second half of this season and for seasons to come. They already have three loan players, so they don't need to sign another inexperienced loan player who is going to feature here and there.
Loan signings should be reserved for players who can have an immediate impact. That way, the player is doing you a favour and you are helping him develop.
What is to be gained by signing a young player who is not of first team calibre on a loan deal? It might help the youngster get some senior experience, but it offers nothing to a club like Celtic.
It's time to build for the future, and if Celtic are going to sign 18 and 19-year-olds, it should be on permanent deals, as they have done with Van der Berg. That way there is an upside to helping a player with their long-term development, even if they do not feature regularly
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