There were some signings that you would have expected Celtic to make in the final days of the summer transfer window, even after they were knocked out of Champions League qualification.

One of them was the signing of Landon Emenalo, brought in on loan from Chelsea. For weeks, it was thought that a deal was already in place and the left-back was just given time to recover from an injury picked up in training.

But one signing that not many would have seen coming is that of Shim Mheuka, another season-long loan addition from Chelsea.

There had been no pre-existing rumours linking Celtic with Mheuka before it suddenly emerged that everything had been agreed and the deal was wrapped up soon afterwards.

On paper, it might not make a ton of sense for Celtic to sign Mheuka. They had already signed two more senior strikers in the form of Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh.

And in Callum Osmand, they have someone who is also in the early phases of his career and needs playing time to develop.

So, why would they sign another striker who needs the same things and might end up slowing down Osmand's development?

Well, injuries might have been the reason. Journalist David Friel said on the Scottish Sun’s Set Piece (via 67 Hail Hail):

“He’s just signed a long-term Chelsea contract. I think they see him as a real star of the future.

“He’s powerful, he’s scored a lot of goals at youth level. He’s scored a lot of goals for England U19s.

“I think Chelsea have really high hopes for him, and I think half the Championship wanted to take him on loan. Celtic have managed to get him.

“I think part of the reason why Celtic have gone for him is that Callum Osmand is obviously injured now. We don’t know how long he’s going to be out for.

“You’re about to lose Yang to the Asian games; Kasper Hogh’s managing this groin injury, so Celtic started to look a little bit light in that area.

“So Celtic managed to get him in.”

Obviously, there are many people who might see those as worrying signs if you are Celtic. There is uncertainty around Osmand, who was recently seen leaving on crutches and in a moon boot.

Hogh is dealing with an injury of his own as well. And to be very honest, he has looked nowhere near the mark since his club-record arrival from Bodo/Glimt this summer.

Yes, he did score a hattrick but all three were simple goals that you would expect a striker to put away. And other than that game, he has not scored at all, and never even looked impressive.

So, perhaps signing Mheuka could turn out to be a very good idea. There is no question about his talent. He has been a standout at youth level for both Chelsea and England.

We have already seen him in action for Celtic as well, as he came on as a substitute against Aberdeen. Now, it remains to be seen if he can establish himself as a regular part of Martin O'Neill's rotation over the coming weeks and months.

One thing is clear, if he is good enough, he should be given playing time. It should not matter if a permanent signing is sitting behind him on the bench. The selection has to be merit-based.