Freiburg's Adamu and Brentford's Arthur join Celtic on loan

Celtic have signed Austria striker Junior Adamu from Bundesliga club Freiburg and Brentford centre-half Benjamin Arthur on loan to the end of the season.

The Scottish champions, who have sent fellow striker Johnny Kenny on loan to Bolton Wanderers, have an option to buy Adamu in the summer.

Born in Nigeria, 24-year-old Adamu came through the RB Salzburg academy and scored 23 goals in 84 appearances for the Austrian side.

Adamu, who has nine caps for Austria, moved to Freiburg in 2023 and has found the back of the net seven times in 67 matches.

He has made 18 appearances this season, 14 of them starts, scoring once.

However, he has only featured once as a substitute in Freiburg’s past 10 Bundesliga games for the side sitting seventh in the German top flight, although he did start last week’s 1-0 Europa League defeat away to Lille.

But Celtic manager Martin O’Neill was attracted to his “experience of high-level football”.

“He has also been involved in European competition, so we are bringing in a talented, experienced, international forward to really enhance our attacking options,” he told Celtic’s website.

Adamu is eyeing a league and Scottish Cup double while scoring “a lot of goals” and wants “to improve as a player”.

“I’ve spoken with the manager and he’s given me good motivation and I trust him,” he said.

“He’s given me that trust, he’s told me how the system is and I feel the connection is really strong.”

Asked what kind of player Celtic fans will see in action, Adamu added: “I’m dangerous in the box and hungry for goals. That’s what the manager sees in me and I want to show that on the pitch.”

The 20-year-old Arthur has made just three appearances for Premier League outfit Brentford, including two starts in his season’s League Cup.

However, O’Neill thinks the England youth international is “an excellent player, with real attributes, good height, strength and speed”.

All four of Celtic’s January signings have been loans, the others being Czech Republic striker Tomas Cvancara from Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bournemouth full-back Julian Araujo.

Meanwhile, Kenny heads for the side sitting third in League One having failed to become a first pick since O’Neill’s return to Celtic.

The 22-year-old Irishman, signed in January 2024 from Shamrock Rovers, has played 22 times for Celtic this season, 12 of them starts, and scoring six times.

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