The defender had to wait for his debut in the club due to injury
Chelsea loanee Landon Emenalo has had a less than ideal start to his time with Celtic. The defender joined the Scottish champions at the end of the summer transfer window but had to wait to make his debut.
He was part of Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea squad, impressing with their pre-season performances. But the arrival of Pep Chavarria allowed him to go out on loan in search of more regular game time.
The 18-year-old joined Celtic last week after rehabbing an injury at Chelsea. He was named on the bench for Saturday’s home game against Hearts.
The defender was given a chance to attract attention in the last 30 minutes of the game as “Celtic” won 6:1. He helped his new team to an impressive 7-1 victory.
Despite the result, there were some concerns about Emenalo’s performance. “Celtic” fans who turned to social media expressed their opinion about his cameo, and some gave a harsh assessment.
“Emenalo looks like it might be Xmas before he gets fit for the match. Quite a credit move,” said one fan.
A second added: “Emenalo looks like he’s stretched to 5k in his first week on the couch”
“It takes time to get sharp, it still seems a step behind,” said a third.
Make sure you never miss the latest Chelsea news and opinion by making Football London one of Google’s preferred sources.
However, there were slightly different opinions, with one fan in particular adding some context. “It didn’t make the same first impression as Mheuka, but there is plenty of time,” they said. “In the context it’s in, there’s zero judgment at this stage, but the game passed Emenalo tbf.”
A second said: “Thought Emenalo looked decent when he arrived yesterday. Cool barnet anaw.”
Chelsea loanee Shim Mheuka was an unused substitute for the game. The striker has appeared in the closing stages of the match in his previous five Scottish Premier League games but is yet to score for the club.
Speaking about his arrival at Celtic last week, Emenaldo told the club’s official website: “It’s a real honor to be here, especially after all this time.
“It felt good to train today and meet the guys. It’s a good group. So I can’t wait to get started.
“Obviously I know Sheam from Chelsea so it’s nice to know someone here, but they’ve welcomed me so it’s been pretty easy to join. I’ve been following him since he joined, rooting for him, obviously. I think he’s done well and I’ve known him since under-15s.