It is hard to make sense of some of the decisions that Celtic made in the winter transfer window. Alex Valle's loan was cut short and he ended up joining Como. Most saw that as a sign that the club were set to agree a deal with Arsenal for Kieran Tierney to join them on a temporary basis until his move was made permanent in the summer.
On paper, it made sense. Tierney had barely played any football for Arsenal this season. He was going to get a lot more game time at Celtic.
But no such move happened and Tierney has stayed on at Arsenal for the time being. The return to Celtic will happen. Not now though, in the summer.
In fact, Brendan Rodgers has explained that a move in the winter was not even close. It was up to Arsenal and they viewed him as a part of their squad. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, the Celtic manager told Sky Sports News:
"It wasn’t close.
"It was clear, Kieran for the summer. If that was the possibility (Tierney joining in January), then it was on Arsenal’s terms. Nothing to do with Celtic. If it were to happen, then great.
"But clearly, he was a part of their squad and he will be here in the summer."
Reason Kieran Tierney did not join Celtic this winter
That raises a very important question. Why did Celtic not try to prevent Valle from leaving the club in the winter if Tierney's return was not even close?
Did the club feel that they were in a position to let Valle leave even if Tierney was not brought back? Or was the decision to cut short the loan completely down to FC Barcelona?
Celtic did sign Jeffrey Schlupp on a loan deal from Crystal Palace on deadline day. While he can play as a left-back, that is not even considered to be his best position and he has mostly featured further up the pitch through the course of his career.
The club have a few other in-house options. Liam Scales can play as a left-back. And then there is the forgotten Adam Montgomery, who was on the bench recently.