NafisaCeltic are continuing to work on strengthening Martin O’Neill’s squad ahead of the new season, with the Scottish champions now closing in on another highly-rated young player from the Premier League.
O’Neill has already made it clear that he does not want Celtic to simply add numbers for the sake of it.
The priority is quality.
That approach has been evident in recent recruitment, with Celtic completing a significant deal for Egypt international Haissem Hassan and continuing to look at younger players who can develop while providing immediate depth.
The latest name to emerge is particularly intriguing given his background.
Celtic are now understood to be closing in on a season-long loan deal for Chelsea youngster Landon Emenalo, with the teenager being lined up to provide cover at left-back.
Celtic identify Kieran Tierney cover
The left-back position has become an area Celtic need to strengthen after the club decided against bringing Marcelo Saracchi back to Parkhead earlier in the summer.
Kieran Tierney remains the established option in that position, but Celtic need adequate cover and competition if they are going to compete domestically while also dealing with the demands of European football.
Emenalo appears to fit the profile O’Neill and Celtic have been looking for.
According to the Daily Record, the 18-year-old has already been given a VIP tour of both Celtic’s training base at Lennoxtown and Celtic Park.
That is a strong indication that discussions have moved beyond a simple scouting exercise.
Celtic are reportedly hopeful of completing the agreement, with the proposed deal taking Emenalo to Glasgow for the entire season.
Chelsea teenager has impressed this summer
Emenalo is not simply arriving as an unknown academy player.
The teenager has been given an opportunity to impress Chelsea’s first team during pre-season and has caught the attention of new Blues head coach Xabi Alonso.
He featured in all three of Chelsea’s friendly matches this summer and has reportedly done enough to underline why the Premier League club regard him so highly.
The youngster has also represented both England and the United States at youth international level, giving him an unusual international background despite his young age.
His father, Michael Emenalo, is another reason the teenager’s development has attracted attention.
Michael was formerly Chelsea’s technical director and remains a highly respected figure within the game.
Landon is therefore coming from a footballing environment where his potential has been recognised from an early age.
Chelsea are keen for him to experience senior football away from Stamford Bridge, and Celtic could provide an ideal environment.
O’Neill wants quality, not quantity
The potential arrival of Emenalo also fits directly with what O’Neill has been saying about Celtic’s remaining transfer business.
The Celtic boss recently insisted there was no question that further additions would arrive this summer, but stressed that he was looking for the right players rather than simply increasing the size of his squad.
“We’re trying to get some quality into the football club. We’ve lost Daizen, he was a big, big player for us and so we have to replace him. I think that we’re doing our best to do that. We will get some more players in, there’s no question about that, but I want quality rather than quantity.”
A loan move for a player Chelsea consider a major prospect would therefore make sense.
Celtic would gain additional depth without committing to a significant permanent transfer, while Emenalo would have the opportunity to experience first-team football and potentially European competition.
Hassan deal shows Celtic’s ambition
The potential Emenalo move comes after Celtic already completed one of their most notable pieces of business this summer.
Haissem Hassan joined from Real Oviedo on a four-year contract for an initial £6million after establishing himself as an important player in Spain.
O’Neill revealed that Celtic had been monitoring the Egypt World Cup star since January, meaning his arrival was the result of a long-standing recruitment process rather than a rushed decision.
“We’d been tracking him in January time. We were hoping that we’d be able to do something,” O’Neill said.
“Oviedo, obviously, at the bottom end, bottom rung of the league, were unwilling to let anybody go at that stage, which is totally understandable.
“It wasn’t as if to say he was just like an afterthought for us in the last couple of weeks. Far from it. We have been chasing him, a number of players in that sort of position that we feel as if they will add something to us. He very, very much fitted the bill. I’m delighted that he’s here and hopefully he’ll do well.”
The possible arrival of Emenalo would be a different type of signing, but one that could prove equally valuable.
Celtic would be adding a player with Premier League academy pedigree, recent first-team exposure at Chelsea and significant potential.
And with the teenager already having seen Lennoxtown and Celtic Park for himself, the proposed loan appears to have moved into its final stages.
For O’Neill, it would represent another calculated addition rather than simply another body through the door — exactly the type of transfer he has promised Celtic supporters.
Nafisa
