Three cut-price January deals Celtic must target, including QPR’s Steven Caulker

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Celtic have business to do in January as they aim to replicate last season’s treble.

Celtic need a new centre-back in January – and possibly a natural number ten too. But who could be available on bargain fees?

Steven Caulker

Steven Caulker’s career promised so much when he was honing his trade under Brendan Rodgers at Swansea City, spending the 2011/12 season on loan at the Liberty Stadium from Tottenham Hotspur.

Flash forward to the present day, however, and Caulker is in need of a fresh start with his career stalling at QPR after disappointing stints at Cardiff City, Southampton and Liverpool.

Fortunately, Rodgers expressed a desire to work with Caulker again in the future, per the Daily Record, and Celtic’s injury problems at centre-half this season could play into the 25-year-olds hands.

Caulker commendably opened up about his troubles away from the pitch earlier this year – and who better to get his footballing life back on track than his old mentor.

Jeremy Toulalan

Celtic may be in the business of signing young and selling high but there are occasions when age and experience are valuable. The Hoops dropped out of the Champions League in the first round once again after losing five of their six group stage games – so who better to bring about improvements on the continent than a player with over 60 European games under his belt?

Jeremy Toulalan is out of contract at Bordeaux at the end of this season and the former France international, who has evolved from a defensive midfielder to a classy centre-half in the autumn days of his storied career, could add some leadership and nous to an often shaky backline.

It would take some convincing to lure 34-year-old Toulalan away from France. But it’s nine years since he won a league title and he could be tempted to add a few more medals to the collection as his career winds down.

Wes Hoolahan

As former Celtic hero Davie Provan pointed out to the Scottish Sun, there is no natural number ten in The Hoops’ squad. But if Rodgers wants a short-term solution until the end of the season, why not offer Wes Hoolahan the chance to return north of the border 12 years after leaving Livingstone for Blackpool?

At 35, the Norwich City playmaker is past his best but remains as skilful and intuitive as ever – potentially offering Celtic a more potent creative threat through the middle, the veteran’s subtlety complimenting nicely with the steel of Olivier Ntcham, Stuart Armstrong and co.

Hoolahan scored seven and assisted ten in the Championship last season – an impressive statistic that shows once and for all that age is just a number.