Celtic Star Should Be Out On Loan Right Now Insists Former Attacker | OneFootball

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Former top flight striker Gordon Dalziel is of the view that if everything was fine at Celtic, then a player like Johnny Kenny should have been on loan now.

Celtic’s transfer business in the recently closed summer window has been a topic of discussion, as their lack of urgency to get deals over the line and strengthen the squad has been slammed by several former players and pundits.

Signing a centre forward was high on their agenda and they brought in young Callum Osmand from Fulham, Shin Yamada from Kawasaki Frontale and free agent Kelechi Iheanacho.

Their forward signings have left the fanbase and former players underwhelmed and Celtic’s recently disclosed Europa League squad has picked 22-year-old Kenny over new boy Yamada.

Kenny has so far featured 13 times for Celtic since joining in 2022 and this season has featured three times while scoring a goal.

Dalziel believes that Kenny has good talent, but he is currently not at the level to represent Celtic and stressed that if everything was all right at the club he would have been out on loan at the moment.

He pointed out that Celtic were scrambling in the market after sanctioning Adam Idah’s departure and Dalziel feels that with the lack of quality players and options, Brendan Rodgers made the decision to add him to their European squad.

“I think if all is well at Celtic Football Club, I think guys like Johnny Kenny would have been out on loan just now; there is no doubt about that”, Dalziel said on Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard (15:49).

“In pre-season he got off to a good start, scoring against Queen’s Park; he got involved in games and he looked lively.

“He is not at that level yet, that lad.

“I think he has good talent; I think there is a great opportunity to further his career.

“He needs games; going out on loan would have been great for him, but Celtic are in such a position they left themselves short up front, especially at centre forward.

“When Adam Idah went out the door, they were scrambling all over the place to get people in.

“They dug into the free agent market, as we have seen and all of a sudden Johnny Kenny is an important part of a European squad.”

Celtic brought in Iheanacho after deadline day and Alan Rough thinks that if the former Leicester City striker was any good, he would not have been axed by Sevilla.

Upon returning from the international break, Celtic will travel to face Kilmarnock away from home on 14th September and it could be where the Parkhead faithful might get their first glimpse of Iheanacho.