Chelsea have a superstar on their hands: Celtic loanee 'looks a player'

Updated: 9 Sept 2026 17:21 BST |
4 min read

Make us your Google favourite

Celtic boss Martin O’Neill is excited to see what Chelsea loanee Shumaira Mheuka has to offer during his season-long loan at Parkhead.

Article continues under the video

The 18-year-old is taking his first proper steps in senior football this season after massively impressing Chelsea’s youth setup. A striker by trade, Mheuka has scored prolifically for the Blues’ youth teams.

The teenager was handed his first-team debut by then-Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca in late 2024, but he only featured sporadically afterwards, which is understandable given his age. To date, he has made nine senior appearances for the West London club, tallying 150 minutes of action.

Due to his track record at the youth levels, fans of the club were desperate for him to go out on loan this summer and test himself against high-level opposition. Despite this, it was a surprise that he ended up at Celtic.

When you send a player out on loan, you usually expect them to play a major role, and this isn’t a given at Celtic, who splashed the cash on attacking reinforcements, particularly strikers, during the transfer window.

O’Neill: Mheuka looks a player

As things stand, Mheuka is competing with Callum Osmand for the role of third-choice striker behind Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran, although the latter can also play on the right if need be.

With Celtic competing on multiple fronts, Mheuka should get ample opportunity to show off his talents, even if he likely won’t be a starter this season. He has already made two brief appearances in the Premiership and had a goal disallowed against St. Mirren.

Judging by the latest comments from Hoops boss Martin O’Neill, Chelsea fans shouldn’t be too worried about Mheuka becoming a forgotten man in Glasgow. The veteran coach has high hopes for the teenager this season and beyond.

“I expect him to do well,” O’Neill said ahead of Wednesday night’s game against St. Johnstone. “He’s just getting to know the players. He’s getting to know what’s expected of him in terms of style of play, what we do with the ball and what we do without it.

“It’s essentially what he does with the ball that will determine not only his time here but his future in the game, and he looks a player. We definitely have got better options up front than we had last season.”

Chelsea’s other loanee at Celtic, 18-year-old left-back Landon Emenalo, has yet to feature for the Scottish giants. He arrived injured and is still recovering.