Celtic completed the final hours of the transfer window by unveiling a new signing who will not be permitted to leave Celtic Park until the window reopens in the summer, after the club inaugurated a 24-hour in-stadium registration complex to process last-minute arrivals.
The player, a 24-year-old forward from the Portuguese second division, arrived at the ground at 9:14 a.m. on deadline day and was immediately escorted to a converted hospitality suite now housing three registration desks, two fingerprint scanners and a cot. Club officials confirmed the striker has signed a six-month residency agreement alongside his playing contract, entitling him to three catered meals daily and access to the first-team gym between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
«We realised at 8:40 this morning that the league's digital transfer system would not accept his registration before the 11 p.m. cutoff,» said a club spokesman, standing outside the suite where the player was observed completing a crossword puzzle. «Rather than lose him to a rival, we have taken the view that he is already ours in spirit, and so he will remain on the premises until the system reopens. The alternative was letting him walk out the door, which would have been a dereliction of our duty to the supporters.»
The striker's family has been informed that visits will be permitted through the main stand turnstiles on matchdays only. Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs have all dispatched scouts to Glasgow to observe the arrangement, with two clubs reportedly considering similar residency clauses for their own targets. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said the player will train with the squad daily and may feature in a closed-door friendly against the under-18s next Tuesday, provided the registration desk approves the team sheet.