Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has completed the recruitment of six new players within a 24-hour period while continuing efforts to secure further additions before the transfer deadline.
The Scottish Premiership champions experienced an intense period of transfer activity off the pitch alongside a routine victory over Aberdeen on the field, with two of the new arrivals making immediate appearances from the bench.
Former England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone arrived at Celtic Park on a season-long loan from English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Striker Shim Mheuka also arrived on a similar one-year loan arrangement from Chelsea, with the 18-year-old regarded as a rising talent at Stamford Bridge.
Mheuka's Chelsea team-mate Landon Emenalo joined on a one-year loan to provide defensive coverage at left-back for Kieran Tierney. Earlier in the week, Danish midfielder Oliver Sorensen agreed a one-year loan move from Italian Serie A outfit Parma on Tuesday.
Following the match against Aberdeen, Celtic announced a permanent four-year deal for defender Joel van den Berg from Dutch Eredivisie team PSV Eindhoven. The club also confirmed a season-long loan for Feyenoord's Swiss international right-back Jordan Lotomba.
Six new additions at Celtic Park
With the Scottish transfer window set to close at 5pm today, O'Neill is still hopeful of securing Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis. The influx of new players follows the departures of midfielder Reo Hatate and striker Johnny Kenny from Celtic Park.
Speaking after the win over Aberdeen, O'Neill indicated that he remains open to signing additional players even if they cannot be registered for Celtic's upcoming UEFA Europa League campaign.
O'Neill said: "Honestly, I am pleased that we have done what we have because there's quite a few who have left the football club."
"Reo's (Hatate) gone and Johnny Kenny has gone. I wish them all the best and so we need people in," O'Neill added.
"Even if they miss the European deadline, if there is a possibility of getting someone else in, I would definitely want to do that if we can."
The Celtic manager recalled a logistical issue from his return to the club in January when European squad registration rules caused frustration for a new arrival.
"When I came in in January, I ended up promising one of the players that we brought in to the squad (he could play in Europe) and then I had to tell him (he couldn't be registered) and he nearly took the bus home," O'Neill explained.
"I had to tell him that I hadn't realised, because there's only X number you can do, you've got your Scottish contingent, then you've got a few changes that you can make," O'Neill added. "Honestly, I just didn't know that. And really sometimes, the people who are signed to the football club, who belong to the football club permanently, maybe they deserve first shot."
Squad depth and European registration rules
Both Sorensen and Mheuka made their debuts for the club as second-half substitutes during the match against Aberdeen. Johnstone was included in the match-day squad, while Van den Berg was pictured watching from the sidelines in a club tracksuit.
Addressing the swift integration of the new signings, O'Neill expressed satisfaction with the progress made in bolstering squad numbers.
"I'm very pleased that they're in the door," O'Neill said. "I think that they'll definitely add something to us. I think the blooding of these players will be really great for them. Hopefully, it turns out in our favour. We're looking at another 15. They're actually in the turnstile, some of them."
Asked if he felt confident the squad would be sufficiently strong to compete across multiple competitions by the close of the transfer window, O'Neill replied: "One has to be confident, one has to be."
Celtic secured victory over Aberdeen with a strong first-half display, scoring three times before the interval through Camilo Duran, Benjamin Nygren and Yang Hyun-jun.
O'Neill singled out forward Duran for praise after his early opening goal helped establish control of the fixture.
"Camilo set the tone for us," O'Neill said. "I think perhaps maybe all season he's done that. He's a really class player. It seemed pretty comfortable at the end and we played some really good stuff as well too, so I'm delighted with that."
Victory over Aberdeen and manager reactions
Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson reacted to his team's first-half performance by making four substitutions at half-time, later expressing disappointment with his side's early display.
"Furious is not the word," Robinson said. "Disappointed, because I see different boys on the training pitch and it's getting that belief to play for Aberdeen and getting that belief to play a certain way and be brave on the ball. You've seen it in the second half, taking the ball in areas, but it's too late then. It's too late, the game's over then."
"So, it's to get them to do that," Robinson added. "Shouting and screaming at people and criticising them isn't going to change that. They're a group of boys, some of them not used to Scottish football. There's been a lot of change and it will take time."
