The Celtic board have struggled to strengthen the squad for many summer transfer windows now. And it was no different this time around.

The club seemed to be on the verge of Champions League qualification, and perhaps things would have turned out very differently if they had secured it.

That cannot be an excuse every summer though. At some point, the club need to ensure that a team is in place that can qualify for the Champions League.

Some good signings have been made for sure. But at the same time, there are others who do not look nowhere near ready and feel like rushed signings rather than moves that were thought through.

According to a report from Football Insider, Celtic will consider letting Joel van den Berg head out on loan in January.

Obviously, the midfielder has endured a difficult start to life in Glasgow. He has not even been able to make his full debut for Celtic yet.

The report further states that if Van den Berg is still not getting first-team minutes by January, then Celtic are prepared to explore a possible loan deal. The club are said to be determined not to stop his growth as a player due to a lack of opportunities.

Unfortunately, chances were always expected to be scarce at Celtic. The club were clearly looking to sign a ready-made player in midfield, having seen starting-level players like Reo Hatate and Arne Engels leave.

It is their failure to qualify for the Champions League that appeared to have an impact on their transfer plans and shift their targets.

It is during that period of time, following their Champions League playoff knockout at the hands of LASK, that the club ended up signing Van den Berg.

It was a confusing move from the very beginning. For weeks, it had looked like Celtic wanted to bring in a midfielder who would be a starter from day one.

And then they ended up signing someone who had only made six appearances in senior football. It felt like a move that was made to make up the numbers rather than add 

Many fans would feel that Celtic set themselves up for failure, and that is exactly how it has turned out for Van den Berg at Parkhead.

Now, what does the future hold for him? It is hard to predict. We have seen so many talented players arrive at Celtic and then get completely lost in the shuffle. It would not come as any surprise if that is how it turns out for Van den Berg as well.

Maybe, just maybe, he will prove everybody wrong and turn out to be a success story in the long run at Celtic. At least that is what the supporters will be hoping.