Celtic's Summer Signings: Haissem Hassan and Midfield Concerns

Haissem Hassan is close. Close enough that Celtic supporters can picture the unveiling photos, but seasoned enough to know nothing is done until the scarf is held aloft at Celtic Park.

If the Egyptian World Cup forward does finally walk through the front door, he will become the club’s third summer signing and another bold stroke in a reshaped frontline. Kasper Hogh is already in. Camilo Duran too. Add Hassan to that mix and Celtic suddenly have a forward line with variety, pace and, crucially, goals.

That is only half the story.

Attack taking shape, midfield falling apart

Celtic’s recruitment drive has so far been top-heavy. The front line has been refreshed, the defence is broadly stable and still requires only a new goalkeeper and a back‑up left-back – a role that, in all likelihood, will again fall to Greg Taylor.

The real concern lies a few yards further forward.

Arne Engels is expected to move on before the window closes. Reo Hatate is also heading for the exit. Paulo Bernardo has already gone. Strip those names out of the squad list and the picture in the middle of the park looks alarmingly bare.

Right now, the recognised midfield options boil down to four: Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren, Luke McCowan and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. That is a core you can trust for experience and technical quality. It is not a core you can trust to run games at the tempo modern football demands from August to May.

McGregor has been the heartbeat of Celtic for years, but the miles are on the clock. Oxlade-Chamberlain brings pedigree and passing range, yet he too is past his explosive best. Nygren and McCowan are in their prime, tidy in possession and intelligent in their movement, but neither is blessed with searing pace or relentless, ball-hunting energy.

Put simply: this midfield does not scare anyone physically. Not in Scotland. Certainly not in Europe.

The Achilles heel in plain sight

Celtic’s lack of legs and bite in midfield has been an open secret for some time. It has dragged performances down domestically and left the team exposed on European nights when the intensity spikes and the spaces close.

The pattern has been familiar. The back line, while not flawless, holds up reasonably well. The forwards look dangerous when they see the ball. But the middle of the pitch becomes a no-man’s-land, neither shutting down opposition runners nor driving Celtic forward with conviction.

That is why the club can afford to be relatively calm about the defence. The need for another goalkeeper is obvious, the requirement for left-back cover equally so, but structurally the back four is not the problem. It bends at times; it does not constantly break.

The midfield is different. It is fragile. Vulnerable. And, once Engels and Hatate depart, it will be weakened further.

Numbers and profile, not just names

The recruitment brief is clear: Celtic do not just need bodies in midfield, they need the right type of bodies. Players with steel. Players who can run. Players who can turn a scrappy second ball into a Celtic attack with one decisive stride.

At least two such signings feel essential. Not luxury additions, not long-term projects to be eased in behind the old guard, but ready-made options who can play alongside McGregor or even allow him to manage his minutes without the whole structure sagging.

Because while the images from Celtic Park – McGregor leading the applause to the stands, Nygren rising to head home against Dundee, Hogh and Duran posing in the famous green and white – tell a story of optimism, they also mask the imbalance underneath.

The forward line is being rebuilt with purpose. The back line is one or two deals away from being fully stocked. The centre of the pitch, the area that links everything together, is running on fumes.

Haissem Hassan’s arrival, if and when it is confirmed, will be a statement that Celtic intend to attack with variety and ambition this season. The real verdict on this window, though, will be written in the engine room.