Martin O’Neill has informed Celtic supporters that the club are “really trying” to land his first signing of the January window amid concerns that Jota is set to remain out until the summer.
Centre-back Stephen Welsh has been brought back from his loan stint at Motherwell, while Mexican defender Julian Araujo joined on loan from Bournemouth earlier this month, before manager Wilfried Nancy and head of football operations Paul Tisdale departed the club.
Former Republic of Ireland boss O’Neill kicked off his latest interim spell with a convincing 4-0 victory over Dundee United at the weekend and is keen to further strengthen his squad.
The 73-year-old has “discarded” a number of proposed targets but insists the club are “relatively close” to adding reinforcements.
“We are really trying, honestly, and obviously, selfishly, and as I said to you, I don’t have any impediments from board level,” said O’Neill, whose team sit third in the William Hill Premiership and could climb above second-placed Rangers with a win away at Falkirk on Wednesday night.
“I think we all want to try to do something, which is great. So I’m not blaming anybody. We will try and get people in.
“But it genuinely is at this stage, even though it’s halfway through January, it is looking around to see what could fit for us, as much as anything else. And, we’ll see. Again, it’s not perfect.
“We might end up having to do some things that, that you take somebody on loan, that you think you wouldn’t be looking to sign for three or four years, for instance, something like that.
“I have an idea about a player and things are being presented to me.
“Now, of course, I would like to act more quickly.
“I think I’m trying to do that, and then I obviously have the other things to deal with, the clubs and then the players themselves. And some people that I would really like may choose to go elsewhere.
“If I, myself, had a bit more preparation for it, then I maybe could have worked a bit more quickly.”
Jota has been absent since suffering a knee injury against Dundee United in April last year.
There had been hope that the Portuguese winger, during his second spell at Parkhead, would be fit for the closing stages of the campaign, but O’Neill added: “In terms of the long-term injuries, I don’t see Jota being back this season.
“I think that Alistair Johnston would probably make a fightback, and he’s hoping to be maybe some time in March, and that would be great if that’s the case.
“But the longer-term injuries, I don’t see it.”