Whatever Celtic’s transfer market plan was, it has taken a radical turn.

Today, there’s a wild transfer rumour going around suggesting we may be about to spend £7 million on the young Norwegian winger we were linked with earlier in the window. The player in question is Sondre Ørjasæter. On the surface, the story seems completely barmy and without any foundation at all. But look a little closer, and you might see it’s not as ridiculous as it initially sounds.

This window suddenly has a lot of moving parts, and it may just be that one of those moving parts is something we didn’t expect—or at least, didn’t expect when the window first opened.

We’ve lost Kyogo, as everyone knows, and there was an assumption among many fans that, having secured the signing of Jota, the club would then move Daizen Maeda into the middle. Now, this idea has been talked about, looked at, and poked from every conceivable angle.

Where I always thought it fell apart was in the assumption that we started this window looking for a left-sided player. If Jota has been signed to replace Maeda on the left, then we still need someone for that position and will be no stronger for it by the time this transfer window closes.

There are good reasons to believe this story about Ørjasæter basically lacks foundation. The signing of Jota means we no longer need to buy someone for the left-hand side. The more pressing need is a striker. But if the club has decided to move Maeda into the middle and then go out and buy this guy to play on the left, one of the central questions hanging over this transfer window has, in fact, been answered.

That answer – Maeda played in Kyogo’s position – might not be one everyone is happy with, but at the end of the day these are the decisions the manager stands and falls by and I cannot conceive of us making any signing he doesn’t sign off on.

So if we do this, it’s because that’s what he’s prioritised.

If we then bring in a striker on loan, I’d suggest that, in those circumstances, a loan deal would be broadly acceptable as long as everyone understands it’s a short-term measure to give backup to Maeda and Idah until the summertime. We are no weaker on the left, and the squad has been made stronger by the signing of this guy and Jota. It would also secure against further turbulence in the summer, which, as we all know, is not out of the question for this club.

I like the player in question based on the clips I’ve seen and the reading I’ve done about his playing history. He does seem to have that spark of energy and talent we’re always looking for. Still, it would surprise me if we spent this kind of money on a winger when the manager himself wants a finisher and Jota has already been signed to play out wide.

There’s something else to bear in mind, and don’t rule this out: we’re only allowed to register three new players for the Champions League squad after the Villa game. It’s why I never thought there would be more than three signings in this window.

If you assume Tierney is coming in, he’ll certainly be registered, leaving us with two slots. Jota will definitely be registered, leaving one. If we’re spending this kind of money on a player, he’s going to be registered for Europe. That leaves no room, at least in Champions League terms, for signing a forward.

We’ve done this to ourselves. There’s no getting away from the fact that we’ve limited our options. Kyogo would have remained eligible to play in Europe, meaning we could still have added three new players to the squad.

I’m taking this rumour with a pinch of salt because it suggests our chances of signing a striker in this window are significantly reduced.

Rodgers has said he wants one brought in. If we’re not listening to the manager—or worse, if the club isn’t listening—then we have a big problem. If Rodgers thinks we need to sign a striker, I don’t know how Ørjasæter fits into that plan unless you believe Tierney isn’t arriving this window.

That raises a whole new set of difficulties. Because if, as reports suggest, Alex Valle’s loan with Celtic has been terminated and he’s heading back to Barcelona to complete a move to Como, then we’re left with no wiggle room in terms of the European squad.

If Valle is out, we need a left-back as badly as any other position, and we need to sign that player in one mighty hurry. It may be Tierney. If it’s not then we’re scrambling, truly scrambling, and this window might yet unravel.

So, I’m sceptical about this one.

Even if you buy into the idea of moving Maeda into the middle, it doesn’t tally with the manager’s stated wishes or gel with the original plan.

But then again, the plan never involved selling your best striker or losing your left-back backup in the same window—and yet, here we are. Whatever the plan was, it’s clearly in flux, and who knows what this team will look like by the time the window shuts?

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

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