Chris Sutton has questioned whether Celtic have taken too much of a gamble at left-back after bringing in Chelsea youngster Landon Emenalo as cover for Kieran Tierney.
Emenalo completed his loan move before the Scottish transfer deadline, but the 18-year-old arrives at Celtic Park without a senior appearance for Chelsea and is currently working his way back from injury.
That is the part of the deal Sutton cannot quite get past.
There is plenty of excitement around Emenalo and Celtic have been tracking him for some time. The youngster was shown around Lennoxtown earlier in the summer and the club clearly rate him highly enough to trust him as part of Martin O’Neill’s first-team squad.
The issue is not necessarily the player. It is the responsibility Celtic may have to place on him almost immediately.
“Kieran Tierney shouldn’t be out long-term but it’s a big ask for a youngster to be the main back-up when you consider the amount of times Tierney doesn’t finish games,” Sutton wrote in his latest Daily Record column.
He added: “Celtic could be relying on a teenager to come in and see out huge matches in Scotland and in Europe.”
That is where the concern comes from.
Tierney remains Celtic’s clear first choice on the left, but managing his minutes has always been part of the conversation around him. Celtic knew going into the summer that they needed someone capable of stepping in when required, whether that meant starting games or being trusted to finish them.
Emenalo may prove capable of doing exactly that, but Celtic are asking him to make a considerable jump. He has not yet played senior football for Chelsea and his first proper exposure to the men’s game could now come in some very consequential matches for the hoops.
Sutton believes there were more experienced options available closer to home, pointing to Will Ferry at Dundee United, Motherwell’s Emmanuel Longelo and even the possibility of bringing Greg Taylor back.
Any of those would have represented a very different type of signing. Celtic instead chose potential, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that if Emenalo turns out to be as good as the club believe he can be.
But the former Celt point is that the situation around him makes it a bigger gamble than it perhaps needed to be.
Landon Emenalo has not been brought in with an option to buy, so Celtic are not simply taking a long-term development punt on a young player they hope to mould over several seasons. They need him to be useful during this campaign.
That becomes even more important if Tierney requires careful management once the schedule begins to pile up.
There is every chance Emenalo returns from injury, settles quickly and makes the whole debate look unnecessary. Celtic clearly saw enough in him to stay patient throughout the summer and eventually get the loan completed.
For now, though, Sutton’s concern is understandable. Celtic needed reliable cover for one of the most physically demanding positions in the team, and they have chosen an 18-year-old with no senior Chelsea appearances to provide it.
That may turn out to be inspired. It is still a gamble.
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