Celtic have several first-team players out on loan this season, and Record Sport has assessed how each is faring in the early stages of the campaign.
Big summer of transfer activity
The Hoops spent nearly £40million in combined fees on Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Haissem Hassan, Jordan Lotomba, Mika Baur and Joel van den Berg. That outlay was offset by approximately £46million generated through the sales of Daizen Maeda, Arne Engels, Reo Hatate, Luis Palma, Johnny Kenny and Maik Nawrocki.
Martin O'Neill further bolstered his squad with the loan captures of Landon Emenalo, Sam Johnstone, Oliver Sorensen and Shim Mheuka, meaning several other players were also allowed to leave Celtic Park on temporary deals.
Balikwisha scores first goal for Gent
Celtic paid £5million to sign winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha from Antwerp in the summer of 2025. However, the DR Congo international made just 14 appearances in total in Glasgow, failing to score in any of them.
The 25-year-old has been sent back to the Belgian top tier with Gent and bagged his first goal for the club in his sixth outing last weekend in the 2-0 away win over Zulte Waregem. In the wake of his first strike, he claimed the Hoops ruined his chance of making the World Cup squad with DR Congo.
Yamada and Bernardo's struggles
Shin Yamada is also out on loan in Belgium, with OH Leuven. After 12 appearances and no goals following his switch from Kawasaki Frontale last year, the striker spent the second half of last season on loan at Prussia Munster in Germany's third tier, scoring three goals in 10 matches. He has now hit a blank in all six of his games for OH Leuven so far.
Paulo Bernardo, who racked up 64 appearances in his first two seasons at Celtic, scoring three times, has dropped down the pecking order under Martin O'Neill. He has appeared 12 times in all competitions for Gornik Zabrze and helped himself to an assist in the 2-1 aggregate loss to Ferencvaros in qualifying for the Europa League.
Last month, Bernardo admitted he had to leave Celtic because he couldn't handle another year on the fringes of the squad, saying: "For me, playing football is the most important thing. Last season at Celtic I didn't get many opportunities. A second year in a row without regular appearances was out of the question. After talking to the manager and the board, I felt this was the best decision."
Montgomery and Holm's loan spells
Adam Montgomery is on his seventh loan spell away from the Hoops. The ex-Scotland youth international made his Celtic bow back in 2021 but has only made 20 appearances for the club in total, having spent most of the time since then away on loan. He previously turned out for Aberdeen, St Johnstone, Fleetwood Town, Motherwell and Queens Park, and has returned to Livingston for another season after an injury-ravaged loan stint in 2025/26. The 24-year-old featured for the Lions in their first two Championship games of the campaign but has not played since.
Odin Thiago Holm has returned to first club Valerenga after a loan stint with Los Angeles FC in the MLS. The 23-year-old revealed in July that he had to undergo surgery to cure a rare condition that affected his calf, stating: "I finally got it operated on and it feels really good. I'm a little more optimistic after talking to some people who have been through the same thing and got better. So I'll just keep my fingers crossed. An operation was talked about for a long time, but Celtic wanted to go in a more conservative direction without it having any effect, so it ended up with surgery. It's good to come to a place where they have understanding and knowledge of the damage, so we can get it sorted out. I haven't played that much football, so I've learned how to get through tough times. That's an extra part of my experience too. I think I have a future playing football. As long as my legs are okay now, there's nothing holding me back."
