THE lists to Santa are already in, the sleigh is all packed and the stockings are hanging by the fireplace.

 

Yet Ronny Deila knows that some of the best presents he could receive this Christmas are already in his possession.

The festive season does not just bring turkey, Morecombe and Wise repeats and granny's sweet sherry habit to the fore, it also signals that the January transfer window is just around the corner.

It is a period which traditionally causes much angst around the corridors of Parkhead and Lennoxtown, with Deila's predecessor Neil Lennon twice yearly having to hope his top talents don't get attracted by the bright lights of England or further afield.

The Northern Irishman also had to contend with trying to unearth hidden gems and lure them to a club that, with all due respect to other teams in the SPFL Premiership, have competed in a one-team title race for the last two seasons.

It was a job Lennon performed admirably as he delved into the market to bring in players such as Victor Wanyama, Gary Hooper, Virgil van Dijk and Kris Commons, to name but a few.

Deila will be aiming to replicate that feat, just as he did back in the summer, when he was able to lure Jason Denayer and John Guidetti to Parkhead.

However, it's a task that will be of secondary importance to the Norwegian.

Part of the Celtic manager's philosophy is continuity and togetherness, so it is unsurprising he has made his top priority keeping hold of those players who are currently operating at a high level under him.

It's a task which he is hoping to accomplish before his Christmas tree is packed away.

"I would hope so," said Deila, when asked if doing things quickly was of high importance. "But I've said also that to get consistency to keep players is more important. But we want both.

"It is much easier to develop what you have, when you know what you have. To get people in, is like getting presents. You never know what you get. It could be nice or something you have to throw away.

"It's very interesting to get presents, but it does not always turn out the way you want to."

The name on the top of his Christmas wish list to the man in the XXXXL red coat has been scribbled down for some time - Guidetti.

Despite his recent goal drought - the Swede has failed to score in his last four appearances - his star still burns so brightly at Parkhead that the three wise men are probably following it along London Road.

Eleven goals in 16 appearances is still a formidable strike rate for a man who had barely kicked a ball for over two years since he rocked up in Glasgow at the start of the season.

Negotiations to make his year-long loan spell a permanent arrangement have been going on for some time, and it is one Deila is not prepared to lose patience with.

"The negotiations are going on. There is progress all the time," he said. "We will see if we can get what we want. If we do, everyone will be happy.

"But you know what you already have. And you know players like Guidetti will be better (in the future). They are young.

"That's the kind of players we want to get in so we can progress as a team and hopefully get to the level we want to be at in Europe."

Guidetti is not the only one Deila is looking to keep hold of, of course. Commons is one of them, Van Dijk another. Two players who have become firm favourites around Parkhead in recent years.

"We want to try and get Guidetti to go through, keeping Virgil and Kris, these are important," said the Celtic manager.

"We also have to look for players who can add to the squad and make them better. If we can do that then we will be in a better position in February than we are right now."

Despite the 2-1 defeat to Dundee United at the weekend, Celtic have shown in recent weeks what they are capable of when they put their minds to it.

They blasted away Hearts with ease in the William Hill Scottish Cup, while they could have scored at least eight in recent wins over Motherwell and St Mirren.

However, as the result at Tannadice proved, there is still room for improvement in this Celtic team.

The Scottish champions may be in the next last 32 of the Europa League, but it is a state of progression from Group D that was made against the backdrop of two losses from their last two games against Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.

Their game will need to be upped considerably if they are to make it beyond Inter Milan in the next round, while also dealing with extending a rather fragile four-point lead in the Premiership.

Deila is aware of this, and is confident that if he keeps his current group together, as well as perhaps sprinkling in a few new faces, that sufficient improvements can be made.

He said: "The results are good, but I see so much possibilities there. When I see the possession and pressure we have and how we are controlling games, it is about getting possession into goal chances.

"We have a long way to go, but it is quite good also. This club is a sleeping bear. It is a huge club, we have so many talented players and good staff

"We have just have to have the energy to work and progress, want to learn and get better. If you have that you can reach your goals."