CELTIC spent most of last summer ensuring Nadir Ciftci would be their big marquee signing and even handed him the coveted No7 jersey.

He was going to be a talisman, a striker who fitted perfectly into Ronny Deila's philosophy, a big talented frontman with skill and attitude.

Yesterday the Turk left for his homeland and a loan deal with Eskisehirspor, who happen to be second bottom of their league.

And no Celtic supporter really cared when the news broke and few tears will be shed if he is never seen at Parkhead again, which at the moment seems the most likely outcome.

Following his move from Dundee United, Ciftci never looked good enough to be a Celtic player. There were glimpses of his talents, but they were fleeting and mostly forgettable.

Ciftci scored only four goals in 22 appearances and once again the club's signing policy has to be questioned.

He was decent enough for Dundee United in the previous season, so why Deila, or whoever it was, thought this level of player was good enough to lead the line and team into the Champions League is anyone's guess.

He only really looked close to the part when he had someone else beside him, but Deila is not for changing his beloved 4-2-3-1.

Once Leigh Griffiths got going, Ciftci was always only going to be a bench warmer – and Celtic have far too many of them already.

Indeed, this is a problem for a club. At the moment, there is limited opportunities for the younger players because the squad is bloated.

Former Celtic striker Pierre van Hooijdonk, who represents Cifci, said: "Nadir just wants to play football and hopefully if this move comes off this will allow him to do that.”

It seems Ciftci will go down along with Mohamed Bangura, Amido Balde as players who cost Celtic big money in terms of wages and fees but were never going to cut it.