Celtic's Enquiry for World Cup Winger Haissem Hassan

Celtic have finally nudged the market. Sky Sports report that the club have lodged an official enquiry for Real Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan, the Egypt international who lit up the World Cup this summer.

It is a move that feels less like a bold statement and more like a scramble to plug widening gaps.

World Cup spark, one year on the clock

Hassan, 24, has entered the final year of his contract in Spain and has been on Celtic’s radar since his performances at the 2026 World Cup. The winger caught the eye in Egypt’s run to the knockout stages, showing the kind of direct, fearless play that Martin O’Neill badly needs in his forward line.

Scottish journalist Anthony Joseph summed up the current state of play: Celtic have made an enquiry, they are keen to bring him to Glasgow, and they are now exploring the conditions of a potential deal. No fee agreed, no advanced talks, but at least a door has been knocked on.

For a club staring at a Champions League play-off with barely any meaningful reinforcement, that counts as movement.

A window defined by what Celtic have not done

O’Neill walked into this summer demanding surgery on his squad. Instead, he has watched key targets and trusted performers slip through his fingers.

The failure to bring back Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi still stings. Both were central to last season’s dramatic title comeback, both were specifically requested by the manager, and both saw their proposed returns to Celtic Park collapse after what were described as lowball offers.

Those negotiations were supposed to be straightforward: secure the spine of a winning side, then build around it. Instead, O’Neill was left exposed. The hierarchy, led by CEO Michael Nicholson and CFO Chris McKay, declined to push the boat out for players who, in their eyes, offered limited resale value.

The fallout was messy. Briefings emerged suggesting Iheanacho’s wage demands were unrealistic, only for updates from Turkey to quickly challenge that version of events. The episode did nothing to calm a support already wary of another cautious summer.

Maeda talks underline the tension

Now, with Ipswich Town officially in talks over a possible deal for Daizen Maeda, Celtic find themselves trying to chase a winger while negotiating the potential exit of another.

Maeda has been a relentless presence for the club, a forward who presses, runs, and never stops. Losing him without a clear, ready-made replacement would be a sporting risk. Losing him while still only at the “enquiry” stage for Hassan would be something worse: a familiar, self-inflicted wound.

The pattern is hard to ignore. Celtic appear determined not to commit to new signings until others are moved off the wage bill. That strategy might make sense on a spreadsheet. On the pitch, with a Champions League play-off looming, it looks increasingly dangerous.

Warnings ignored?

Last season, Celtic flirted with disaster before turning the title race on its head. The late surge was thrilling, but also deceptive. It masked structural problems that many inside and outside the club have been flagging for years.

Former captain Paul Lambert has been among those warning that Celtic will not keep getting away with this level of hesitation and drift. The club escaped last year. This time, they enter the new campaign without Iheanacho, without Saracchi, and potentially without Maeda.

And still the big deals are talked about in the future tense.

Hassan as symbol, not solution

Hassan would bring pace, creativity, and a touch of unpredictability from the flank. At 24, with World Cup experience and a year left on his contract, he fits the profile of a player who could be both an asset on the pitch and a saleable one down the line.

On paper, it makes sense. On grass, it will only matter if Celtic move quickly and decisively.

The enquiry is a start, but it is the kind of step Celtic have taken before without landing the player. Supporters have watched this film: interest, talks, “exploring conditions” – and then a rival club steps in while the Hoops hesitate.

The Champions League play-off will not wait. Europe has already punished Celtic once for slow summers; another misstep could shape the entire O’Neill era before it has truly begun.

So the club have picked up the phone for Haissem Hassan. The real question is whether this is the first sign of a serious window, or just another name added to a growing list of what might have been.