Celtic Pursue World Cup Winger Haissem Hassan Amid Transfer Concerns
Celtic have finally moved. Sky Sports report that the club have lodged an official enquiry for Real Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan, a late but pointed attempt to inject quality into a squad that has been allowed to fray at the edges.
Hassan, 24, has one year left on his contract in Spain and caught the eye with Egypt at the 2026 World Cup, notably in the Round of 32 clash against Australia in Arlington. His performances there have pushed him onto the radar of several clubs. Celtic, at last, have stepped into the conversation.
Scottish journalist Anthony Joseph confirmed the approach, stating that the Hoops are keen to bring the Egypt international to Glasgow and are now exploring the conditions of a potential deal. For a support weary of drift and delay, even an enquiry feels like a jolt of movement.
But the context is grim.
A squad stripped before it’s strengthened
Martin O’Neill has been clear about what he wanted this summer. After last season’s dramatic title comeback, he asked the board to secure two of the key figures in that run-in: Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi. Those were not speculative targets. They were explicit requests.
Both deals collapsed.
The offers to bring Iheanacho and Saracchi back to Celtic Park were pitched low and ultimately blocked, a decision that has left the manager exposed and the squad lighter than it should be. The hierarchy’s stance appeared to hinge on resale value, with neither player viewed as a future asset to flip on the market.
The fallout was messy. Claims emerged that the club had briefed the mainstream media with a negative spin on Iheanacho’s wage demands. That narrative did not last long. Updates from Turkey quickly challenged the suggestion that the striker’s financial expectations were unreasonable, leaving an uncomfortable glare on Celtic’s internal decision-making.
So O’Neill, tasked with major surgery on the squad, has instead watched key components walk away from the operating table.
Maeda talks underline the tension
Now comes another twist. Ipswich Town have opened official talks with Celtic over a potential deal for Daizen Maeda, one of the most relentless forwards in the squad and a fan favourite for his work rate and big-game impact.
Set that against the Hassan enquiry and the picture darkens. Celtic appear locked into a policy of shifting players off the wage bill before committing to new signings. It is a cautious approach that might make sense on a spreadsheet, but on the pitch it is starting to look like self-sabotage.
The Champions League play-off looms again, that unforgiving gateway to the group stage and all the financial and sporting oxygen it provides. Yet meaningful strengthening of the squad has barely begun. Last season, Celtic flirted with disaster and escaped. This time, the margins feel thinner.
Warnings from within the club’s own history
The alarm is not just coming from the stands. Former captain Paul Lambert, a Champions League winner with Borussia Dortmund, has already warned that Celtic cannot keep gambling on late business and expect the same outcome. Others with deep roots in the club have echoed that concern.
The pattern, though, has persisted: feet-dragging, internal wrangling, deals allowed to drift until they die. Now O’Neill faces that reality without Iheanacho, without Saracchi, and potentially without Maeda.
Hassan: talent, timing and a test of intent
On paper, Hassan fits a profile Celtic know well: a technically gifted wide player entering his prime, with international exposure and a contract situation that could make him attainable. His World Cup displays for Egypt showed a winger comfortable carrying the ball, attacking space and handling pressure on a big stage.
An enquiry, though, is only the first rung on the ladder. It is also a test of the club’s resolve. Are Celtic prepared to move decisively for a player they clearly admire, or will Hassan become another name in a long list of almost-signings, filed away under “conditions not quite right”?
For now, the message from the boardroom is caution; from the manager’s office, urgency. The gap between the two grows with every day that passes without a signature.
The fans, once dreaming of building on a title-winning surge, are beginning to lower their sights. As one line from the support drily puts it, they would settle for simple maintenance at this stage.
Hassan may yet arrive and light up the left flank at Celtic Park. The question is whether he will be the start of a serious rebuild or another isolated move in a window defined by hesitation. With the Champions League play-off closing in and rivals already sharpening their squads, Celtic are running out of time to decide what kind of club they want to be this season.
