With Martin O'Neill only in interim charge of the team until the end of the season, Celtic seemed reluctant to go out and spend on signing players permanently in the winter transfer window. They added five fresh faces on loan deals while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was brought in as a free agent for the next six months, with the option for a further year.

Celtic's best signing of the winter so far seems to be Julian Araujo. Incidentally, he was the only addition that the club made with Wilfried Nancy as manager.

Araujo was brought in on loan from Bournemouth for the rest of the season. There is not believed to be an option to buy included in the deal, although some fans might already be hoping that there was.

Araujo has been starting games on a consistent basis since joining Celtic. And in the club's most recent outing, he scored a 97th-minute winner against Kilmarnock away at Rugby Park before heading into the stands to celebrate with the supporters.

In that moment, it looked like Araujo was very much enjoying life as a Celtic player. It is worth remembering that he made only one appearance in the first half of the season for Bournemouth before his move to Parkhead.

Araujo certainly sounded open to the prospect of a permanent move to the Glasgow club following his heroic winner at the weekend. According to The Celtic Way, he said:  "Football is crazy. You know, anything can happen.

"Right now, I have a contract with Bournemouth, but I'm on loan here for the first six months, and I'm happy. I'm enjoying every moment. I'm grateful for this opportunity. And you never know. Anything can happen.

"I let my agent take care of the negotiations and whatever behind the scenes. You know, I just focus on my game and try to give my best for this crest. Whatever football brings me, God is in control of my plans. So I'm following his lead."

If it is accurate that Celtic do not have an option to buy, then they will need to agree on a transfer fee with Bournemouth to sign Araujo permanently in the summer. The Cherries were believed to have signed him for around £8.5 million. So, one would expect them to try to recoup as much of that as possible.

Of course, Araujo is an important part of the starting XI right now. But what would his role in the team be once Alistair Johnston has recovered from his injury? Any future move to Parkhead might depend on that more than anything else.

Araujo has had an interesting career so far. He made more than 100 appearances for the LA Galaxy before joining FC Barcelona. He never made an appearance for the Catalan giants though, spending time out at Las Palmas instead, before heading to Bournemouth. Now, the Mexican international is playing some of his best football while on loan at Celtic. Does a permanent move to Parkhead lie in his future? Time shall tell.

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