Luis Palma has made his stance clear: he wants to leave Celtic.
The days of Palma’s position as a first-team regular for the Hoops are long gone.
He was initially a key contributor under Brendan Rodgers, but found himself completely out of favour by the middle of his season, despite scoring ten goals in his first.
He moved on loan to Olympiacos initially, but barely kicked a ball for the Greek giants. Ahead of this season, he joined Lech Poznan in Poland.
It’s fair to say that this move has worked out.
Luis Palma wants to leave Celtic to join Lech Poznan
Despite bizarre rumours that Wilfried Nancy could recall Palma ahead of January, the winger has established himself as a key player for the Polish side.
There’s just one issue: the option to buy in the deal, worth €4 million, would represent a club-record fee for Lech.
The indications so far have been that the club simply could not afford to pay this fee, leaving the door open for a richer team to swoop for Palma in the summer.
But as far as the player is concerned, there is no question: he wants to play for Lech.
Speaking to Canal Plus Sport after their 3-0 home win over Piast Gliwice, he was asked about his future plans and gave a clear answer.
Palma said: “I hope to stay at Lech for a long time, but it’s not just my decision.
“I’m doing my thing day by day, and I’m very happy about it. I’m sticking to that and I hope to stay at this great club, although not everything depends on me.”
Palma was benched on the day, and pushed for his thoughts on that, the Honduran said: “That’s the coach’s decision.
“I always focus on the team’s best interests. If we win, everything goes according to plan.
“I’m working diligently day after day to get back into the starting lineup, but that’s football. I’ll continue to work hard.”
Celtic players out on loan
Celtic have a number of young players out on loan, but there are a few senior players playing elsewhere, including Maik Nawrocki, who has hit form for Hannover.
Of course, Stephen Welsh’s form at Motherwell led to his recall in January – but the club’s decision to allow him to return paid dividends with his late equaliser against Rangers.
In January, Shin Yamada joined Nawrocki in Germany, playing for Preussen Munster in the 2. Bundesliga, the same division as Hannover.
Johnny Kenny made his debut on loan at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, coming on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Lincoln City.