Who Celtic signed before the UEFA deadline – and Martin O'Neill's view on more

Celtic completed six signings in little over 24 hours as their recruitment accelerated ahead of Wednesday night's UEFA registration deadline. Four players arrived on loan before the 3-0 Scottish Premiership win over Aberdeen, with Joel van den Berg and Jordan Lotomba joining soon after the match.

The burst of business matters because Celtic were working around two different cutoffs. Van den Berg and Lotomba completed their moves before UEFA's 11pm deadline on Wednesday, but that timing does not by itself confirm their inclusion in the Europa League squad. Celtic could also continue making domestic signings before the Scottish Premiership window closed at 5pm on Thursday.

Who were Celtic's six deadline signings?

According to Sky Sports, Celtic's six arrivals comprised four loan players and two subsequent additions:

• Oliver Sorensen: The Danish midfielder joined on loan and made his debut from the bench against Aberdeen.
• Shim Mheuka: The Chelsea striker also arrived on loan and made his debut as a substitute in the same game.
• Sam Johnstone: The Wolves goalkeeper signed on loan and was among Celtic's substitutes against Aberdeen.
• Landon Emenalo: The 18-year-old Chelsea left-back joined on loan but was reported to be several weeks away from fitness.
• Joel van den Berg: The 19-year-old midfielder arrived from PSV Eindhoven on a four-year deal.
• Jordan Lotomba: The 27-year-old Swiss right-back signed until the end of the season.

The different arrangements are important. These were not six identical deals: Sorensen, Mheuka, Johnstone and Emenalo were loan additions, Van den Berg committed for four years, and Lotomba agreed terms through to the end of the campaign.

Sorensen and Mheuka make immediate Celtic debuts

Two members of the incoming group were involved immediately. Sorensen and Mheuka came off the bench during the 3-0 league win over Aberdeen, while Johnstone was also named among the substitutes. Emenalo's situation was different, with the young left-back still several weeks from fitness.

Van den Berg and Lotomba were confirmed soon after the game. Both deals were completed shortly before UEFA's 11pm registration cutoff, bringing Celtic's total to six new players in a little over a day.

Why the UEFA and Scottish deadlines were different

Completing a transfer before UEFA's deadline should not be confused with confirming a place in Celtic's Europa League squad. Sky Sports did not specify which of the six arrivals were registered for the competition, so it would be wrong to assume that every completed signing was included.

The Scottish Premiership deadline remained open until 5pm on Thursday. That meant Celtic could potentially make another domestic signing after UEFA registration had closed, although any later arrival would not automatically form part of their European plans.

This distinction explains why the European cutoff did not necessarily end Celtic's recruitment. Manager Martin O'Neill said he thought the new players would definitely add something to his squad. He also retained the conditional possibility of another move, saying he would want an additional player if an opportunity arose and Celtic could complete it.

Celtic departures and the Gvidas Gineitis link

The arrivals came alongside two permanent departures. Johnny Kenny moved to Preston, while Reo Hatate joined Burnley. Those exits provided relevant squad context for O'Neill's satisfaction at bringing players in and his interest in another possible addition.

Celtic were linked with Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis, but that remained a reported link rather than evidence of a bid, agreement or completed transfer. Further business was therefore possible before the domestic deadline, not confirmed.

The six September arrivals followed four earlier summer signings: Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan. Celtic's deadline burst substantially expanded that list, but the key dividing line remained clear: six transfers had been completed, their individual Europa League registration status was not specified, and any further domestic deal was still conditional.