€5 million Celtic signing tipped to leave on loan

Celtic fans have been left scratching their heads at times over many matters right now, as must be Brendan Rodgers. For example, the summer signings and their use since arriving have been puzzling, to say the least. Some are not performing as needed while others can't seem to get selected often enough to play their way into the team.

Gustaf Lagerbielke is one such player. He was close to leaving on loan in the January window until Cameron Carter-Vickers suffered an injury and left the squad lacking cover options at the back.

Marco Tilio and Kwon Hyeok-kyu have already left on a temporary basis. Now, there is talk that another summer signing may need to go out on loan to get more game time and continue his development. That raises serious questions over the club's recruitment.

Maik Nawrocki was signed from Legia Warsaw in the summer for a transfer fee believed to be around €5 million. But he has struggled to make any serious impression yet. Injuries haven't helped, but it seems that Liam Scales and Stephen Welsh rank above both the Polish defender and Lagerbielke in Brendan Rodgers’ pecking order when Carter-Vickers is unavailable.

€5 million Celtic signing tipped to leave on loan

Could a loan stint away from the club benefit Nawrocki? As reported by the Daily Record, Dariusz Dziekanowski said:

"I thought Nawrocki played quite well in the first team in the first few weeks but unfortunately got injured. It took him some time to get back to fitness but it’s been difficult to get into the starting line-up.

“I know he’ll be unhappy at not playing, as every player would be, but it is his own hands. This is a big chance for him to play for a massive club.

“It’s difficult for me to say why he isn’t on the pitch all the time. It’s difficult for supporters as well. They might say, ‘we paid a lot of money for this player, why does he not play?’

“But the manger Brendan will see his progress and what he is doing in training and in games. He has a very good manager there and he will be learning from him.

“I am sure Celtic have a plan for him. It might be to gradually get him in to the team – or maybe go out on loan for six months and then come back stronger."

Nawrocki looked to be what Celtic needed in the summer. A strong centre-back with real potential. So did Lagerbielle when he arrived. And then there's Yuki Kobayashi, signed during Ange Postecoglou's time at Parkhead, who has fallen even further out of the selection frame and looks to be another likely candidate to leave.

The centre-back position at Celtic has plenty in number but is limited in real options that Rodgers appears to feel comfortable selecting. Perhaps Nawrocki needs more time to settle. The chance to play for longer in a more settled back four would give him that opportunity. Having said that, it seems very likely that we can expect more exits from the current defensive unit, whether that includes the Polish youngster or not remains to be seen.