Celtic’s superb start to the 2024/25 campaign continued as they lifted their first trophy by winning the League Cup on penalties at Hampden Park on Sunday.
They beat their Glasgow rivals Rangers 5-4 on penalties, after a 3-3 draw in regulation time, and already have one piece of silverware secured for the season.
The Hoops are also nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, with 14 wins in 15 matches, and appear to be on course to land a fourth straight league title.
Brendan Rodgers won the top-flight and the SFA Cup in the 2023/24 campaign and has already lifted the only domestic trophy – the League Cup – that he missed out on last term.
His team have also performed well on the European stage. Celtic have only lost one of their six matches in the Champions League and are in the play-off places as it stands.
There are some players in the squad, however, who have not contributed much to the team’s success across all competitions and could be moved on when the January transfer window opens for business next month, including winger Luis Palma.
Why Luis Palma should be sold
It was recently reported by 67HailHail that two teams from the MLS are weighing up whether or not to swoop for the Honduras international ahead of their 2025 campaigns.
Atlanta United and Orlando City are both said to be eyeing up a possible move for the former Aris winger, who has found game time hard to come by at Parkhead this season.
He has only played 98 minutes, across four appearances, in the Premiership so far this term – 20 other players have spent more time on the pitch in the league than Palma within the squad.
The left winger has produced zero goals and zero assists in seven outings in all competitions, in what has been a disappointing follow-up to a fairly decent first season in Scotland.
Although Palma’s form dipped in the second half of the campaign, the forward showed plenty of promise with his displays at the top end of the pitch in the Premiership.
Appearances
28
Starts
18
Goals
7
Big chances created
14
Assists
9
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old wizard was far from useless in the top-flight last term, with 16 direct goal contributions in 28 appearances.
Palma showcased his ability to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch, as both a scorer and a creator of goals, and had the ability to score goals out of nothing, as shown in the clip below.
Unfortunately, though, the forward has only scored two goals in the Premiership in 2024 and has found himself near the bottom of the pecking order under Rodgers, with the likes of Hyun-jun Yang, Nicolas Kuhn, James Forrest, and Daizen Maeda ahead of him.
Therefore, Celtic should take advantage of the MLS interest in Palma and brutally ditch him from the squad. However, they should also swoop to sign another attacking midfielder to take his place, amid interest in Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka.
Celtic's interest in Premier League youngster
It was reported by The Boot Room earlier this month that Celtic are one of the clubs that have been offered the opportunity to sign the England youth international in the January transfer window.
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The outlet claimed that the Hoops and their Scottish rivals Rangers have both been told that the door is open for them to swoop for the former Aston Villa academy graduate ahead of the second half of the season.
It stated that he is not a part of Enzo Maresca’s plans moving forward and that all parties are working towards an exit next month, as he has also been offered to teams across Europe.
The Boot Room revealed that Chelsea would be open to selling him on a permanent deal, or loaning him out, depending on what offers come in for his services.
Football Insider have since added that Celtic could make a loan move for the attacking midfielder, but that they would need the Premier League side to contribute towards his wages.
Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not the Blues are willing to do that, Rodgers securing a move for Chukwuemeka would allow him to finally cash in on Palma.
Why Celtic should sign Carney Chukwuemeka
It would be somewhat of a gamble by the Hoops because the 21-year-old gem has yet to play regularly at first-team level in his career to date, which means that he would come in as a raw talent with potential, rather than a known quantity.
Celtic are already thriving across all competitions, though, and this means that they can afford to take a short-term risk or two in the transfer market, as they are not in desperate need of guaranteed hits in the January window.
The England U20 international is not an out-and-out left winger, like Palma, but has played on the left flank and as an attacking midfielder in his career, which means that he could provide cover across the frontline, as well as being a central midfield option.
Chukwuemeka’s former teammate James Norris once claimed that the midfield ace is a “a bit like Pogba” and that is backed up by Villa insider Charlie Jennings’ description of his style of play.
He told Sempre Milan: “Carney is an outstanding ball carrier from deep areas of the midfield. He is known for marauding, mind-boggling dribbles through tight areas and compliments this with a delightful array of passes.”
Minutes
67
Pass accuracy
89%
Key passes
2
Dribbles completed
3/5
Duels won
7/11
As you can see in the table above, the midfielder showcased his ‘mind-boggling’ dribbling skills in his most recent performance for Chelsea in the Conference League, completing three of his five attempted dribbles.
Chukwuemeka, who has scored 12 goals and produced 14 assists in 76 games as a midfielder in his senior and youth career combined, has shown promise in Europe for the Blues – as shown by his performance against Astana, but is yet to prove himself on a consistent basis.
Celtic must now offer him the chance to come in on loan and show what he can do domestically and in Europe for the Hoops, allowing Rodgers to brutally bin Palma in the process.
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