Celtic fans may have thought they had seen then last of Vasilis Barkas in the Scottish Premiership - but the Greek stopper could lead a host of forgotten loanees back to Glasgow this month.
Barkas was a major flop at Celtic after his £4.5million move from AEK Athens in 2020 and Ange Postecoglou quickly drafted in Joe Hart to take the number one spot, with Scott Bain and Benjamin Siegrist now ahead of Barkas in the pecking order. He was shipped out on loan to Utrecht, and while he has impressed in the Eredivise the club have admitted they won't be able to afford to turn the temporary deal into a permanent one.
The likes of Mikey Johnston at Vitoria have benefitted from the loan spell away from Glasgow's east end, with the winger looking to have finally put his injury woes behind him in Portugal as he prepares for a return to Celtic in the summer. Liam Scales has also ramped up his game time at Aberdeen and will hope to force Postecoglou into a summer rethink, while Johnny Kenny leads a host of young talent who are enjoying first-team minutes away from Celtic.
Yosuke Ideguchi has also return to Japan on loan as he looks to revive his career after an injury-plagued year in the Scottish Premiership. However, it's too early to say if his spell with Avispa Fukuoka can help him recover.
However, not all players will be welcomed back by Postecoglou and the Parkhead support with open arms. Record Sport takes a look at the potential headaches facing the club this summer.
Boli Bolingoli (Mechelen)
The full-back has barely featured in Ange Postecoglou's thinking since he arrived in Glasgow's east end, having been shipped out on loan to FC Ufa last term. A return in the summer didn't see Bolingoli receive a look-in, and he has spent the campaign at Mechelen in Belgium.
He has been a mainstay of the Mechelen side this term as they fight to avoid the drop from the Belgian top flight, and the club could look to make the move permanent in the summer if they survive. However, with Greg Taylor and Alexandro Bernabei ahead of him in the pecking order Celtic will be keen to move him on as he approaches the final year of his contract.
Ismaila Soro (Arouca)
The 24-year-old looked like a promising signing for Celtic when he arrived from Bnei Yehuda in January 2020 but struggled to deliver on his early promise. He is a regular in Portugal with Arouca pushing for a European spot this term, but it seems unlikely a Celtic second chance is on the cards.
Postecoglou boasts a wealth of midfield options with the likes of January signing Tomoki Iwata playing in a similar role to Soro - and has yet to receive a look-in since his arrival. With his current Celtic contract running until 2024, the Scottish Premiership leaders may hope that Arouca look to make a move permanent.
Albian Ajeti (Sturm Graz)
Albian Ajeti has failed to justify his £5million price tag that saw him move from West Ham to Celtic Park, and has stuggled to mkae his mark in the Postecoglou striker. The unfancied striker was on the fringes of the squad behind Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis as he chipped in with just three goals as Celtic added the League Cup and Premiership title to the trophy cabinet last term.
He has now been shipped out to Sturm Graz, and after a promising start in the Austrian Bundesliga is endured a goal drought. The Swiss international last found the net in October, and could prove difficult for Celtic to move on when he returns this summer.
Liam Shaw (Morecambe)
Shaw signed on a pre-contract from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 2021 before current Ange Postecoglou was in the building, and struggled for game time under the Australian after his switch north of the border. Shaw was relegated to the Colt team before a loan move to Motherwell in January, but the prospect struggled to make his mark at Fir Park making just eight appearances for the Steelmen.
Now at Morecambe, the 21-year-old is a regular started in English League One as he battles to avoid the drop. Shaw has already admitted that his prospects at Celtic mean he could go out on loan again. When asked about his goals for the season, he midfielder admitted: (I want to) Keep Morecambe up and then go back to Celtic, and whatever will be will be. If I'm not part of the plans obviously I will go out on loan again."
Osaze Urhoghide (Oostende)
The defender arrived from Sheffield Wednesday and was officially unveiled as the first capture of the Postecoglou era. Since then he has made just one first-team appearance under before being shipped out on loan to Belgium spending two loan spells at Oostende.
The Belgian side were unable to stump up the cash to make the deal permanent last summer and it appears unlikely they will be handing the Parkhead side a payday at the end of the current campaign. Another loan exit may be preferred with the centre-back contracted until 2025.
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