Celtic closing in on signing Chelsea academy stars
Celtic have agreed a season-long loan deal for Chelsea’s Shim Mheuka, and are closing in on his teammate Landon Emenalo.
The Scottish transfer window shuts on Thursday, September 3rd, at 17:00 BST, although Martin O’Neill’s side would hope to secure both Chelsea youngsters before tonight’s Europa League squad registration deadline.
The talented pair will bring much needed depth and quality, as the Glasgow giants aim to make a great run in Europe while maintaining their dominance of the Scottish game.
Mheuka has established himself as one of the best attacking talents in English academy football, scoring 18 goals in 19 appearances and winning Player of the Season in last year’s Premier League 2 campaign. The striker has excelled in the UEFA Youth League, netting against Bayern Munich and Benfica’s academy sides, while shining at international level for England U19.
The 18-year-old has already seen first team action in the last two seasons, making his Premier League debut and gaining significant minutes in the UEFA Conference League.
The young forward is highly regarded at Stamford Bridge and has recently penned a long-term contract with the Blues. Mheuka will hope to learn from Celtic’s starting forwards Kasper Høgh and Camilo Durán and offer strong competition during his first senior loan.
Emenalo has been a Celtic target throughout this summer’s window, with an earlier deal put on hold while the left-back recovered from injury. The Hoops have renewed their interest in a loan move ahead of the deadline, and will be desperate to secure Emenalo as cover for Kieran Tierney.
Elsewhere, Martin O’Neill’s side have been extremely busy in the final days of the market. Danish midfielder Oliver Sørensen has joined from Parma on a season-long loan with an option to buy, adding support in the middle of the park after Reo Hatate’s departure for Burnley.
Celtic have also announced the signing of Sam Johnstone, with the goalkeeper joining from Wolves on another season-long loan.
“It’s a massive club,” Johnstone said.
“I didn’t need convincing by anyone, but Joe Hart rang me the other day just to reiterate what a place this is and how the fans are unbelievable. That gave me the hunger and the buzz to come up here and get started.
“There is a pressure to win, which is what I like. We all want to win trophies. The manager is a legend of the game and a very nice man. I can’t wait to play in front of the supporters and I’m really excited.”
