Celtic Blocked Player From Joining Premiership Rivals on Deadline Day

St Mirren were hopeful of landing a loan deal for the Celtic player but that was foiled by the Hoops blocking the move.
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While Celtic may not have landed any strikers in the recent winter transfer window, they managed to fend off a deal for one of their own late on deadline day.

As reported by The Scottish Sun, St Mirren hoped to land striker Johnny Kenny on loan from Celtic, but the Hoops blocked the deal.

The prevention of the loan exit follows failed efforts to recruit several strikers to Celtic late in the winter window to fill the void left by Kyogo Furuhashi, who moved to Rennes not too long ago.

On the eve of deadline day, they managed to add Crystal Palace's Jeffrey Schlupp on loan but he does not do much when it comes to their need for an out-and-out striker.

Ultimately, it was a quiet window outside the return of Jota, who scored the first goal of his second spell at Celtic as a substitute against Motherwell.

The fans had hoped for the club to land a striker to complement Adam Idah, who at this point stands as Brendan Rodgers' only genuine option in the role.

While they didn’t succeed in those efforts, they managed to retain a valuable piece of depth by not sanctioning Kenny's exit on deadline day.

Kenny backs up Idah alongside Daniel Cummings. He hasn’t seen action since a substitute appearance against Ross County last month.

The Hoops are thin up front as they enter the second half of the season defending their Premiership title and an upcoming Champions League matchup against Bayern Munich.

Celtic can’t hope to rely on Idah alone for the remainder of the season, making Kenny a potentially crucial option for the club. However, they may have to continue efforts to retain the backup striker amidst more suitors.

The Celtic Star has linked Kenny to a potential reunion with the Shamrock Rovers, who are interested in a loan deal. The Irish transfer window is still open until Feb. 22.

While Kenny hasn’t appeared for the Hoops regularly, the club should be mindful of their options and consider developing the 21-year-old backup into a more established option.

When Kenny was substituted in for Idah against Ross County in January, he made it count, recording an assist to Luke McCowan for the club's fourth goal in stoppage time in the win.


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Maddy Hudak
MADDY HUDAK

Maddy Hudak is the deputy editor for Tulane on Sports Illustrated and the radio sideline reporter for their football team. Maddy is an alumnus of Tulane University, and graduated in 2016 with a degree in psychology. She went on to obtain a Master of Legal Studies while working as a research coordinator at the VA Hospital, and in jury consulting. During this time, Maddy began covering the New Orleans Saints with SB Nation, and USA Today. She moved to New Orleans in 2021 to pursue a career in sports and became Tulane's sideline reporter that season. She enters her fourth year with the team now covering the program on Sports Illustrated, and will use insights from features and interviews in the live radio broadcast. You can follow her on X at @MaddyHudak_94, or if you have any questions or comments, she can be reached via email at maddy.hudak1@gmail.com