The grass isn’t always greener at Parkhead, just ask those who left Celtic for tent fees in recent years.
A year away from his £16.5m move to Italy, word is that Nicolas Kuhn is already surplus to requirements at Como, while Kyogo Furuhashi has scored just three goals in 18 months for Rennes and Birmingham City following his £10m sale.
As for Matt O’Riley, the Dane was sent to Marseille last season from parent club Brighton, while £25m Kieran Tierney returned last summer after an injury at Arsenal.
Then there’s Jota, with the Portuguese also finding his way back to Glasgow after difficult times in Saudi Arabia and France. Sadly, however, it was not a happy homecoming.
What O’Neill said about Jota’s fitness
Jota, originally signed on loan in the summer of 2021, was great to watch in his first game for Celtic, a real box of tricks for any side, with a huge impact on Ange Postecoglou’s endless Hoops side.
Frustratingly, that impressive quality has yet to be seen since his return in January 2025, even with the former Benfica man scoring five goals at the end of that season.
After being struck down with a thigh injury a few months after his return to Parkhead, Jota’s form is not promising at all, having missed the entire 2025/26 season.
Somewhat of a forgotten man, the winger’s return feels like a long way off now, not least after Martin O’Neill’s blunt assessment of the situation this week.
“Jota will be back with us on Monday week, but coming back and being healthy are two different things.
“Until he’s ready to play, I’m sorry, you have to take him out that way.
“I’ve already kicked him out until Halloween maybe, but who knows how people come back.
“I’m sorry, it’s cruel but he says you have to stop it, he’s not involved. I can’t worry about something that might go down for three months.”
Out of sight, out of mind, seems to be O’Neill’s approach to the 27-year-old, whose priority now is to ensure the forward line is strengthened with a rocking statement this summer.
Celtic are planning a deal to sign Jota next at Parkhead
After a quiet start to the window, things are about to kick into gear in Glasgow, with Camilo Duran already in the building, and O’Neill keen on the return of cult hero Kelechi Iheanacho.
The 74-year-old looks set to strengthen the attack, amid ongoing uncertainty over Daizen Maeda’s future at Paradise.
With that in mind, there was an encouraging update from Spanish journalist Christian Vaquero, an insider revealed to X that Celtic are still in talks with Haissem Hassan over a four-year contract for the Egyptian.
The suggestion is that O’Neill and his team are preparing a €8m (£7m) bid for the Real Oviedo star, and although the Spanish side are insisting on something closer to €12m (£10m), they are willing to negotiate.
It looks like it will take a huge amount of money from Celtic to get the 24-year-old, but Hassan looks to be a real star in his own right, as he has shone in his World Cup performances in recent weeks.
|
Hassan – Career Record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The team |
Games |
Terms (Help) |
|
Oviedo |
82 |
4 (6) |
|
Villarreal B |
51 |
2 (2) |
|
Gijon |
42 |
2 (5) |
|
Miranda |
38 |
3 (6) |
|
Chataeuroux |
19 |
0 (2) |
|
Chataeuroux B |
18 |
4 (0) |
|
Villarreal |
2 |
0 (0) |
|
Egypt |
6 |
0 (1) |
Against Argentina, the wanted player was electric as the North African country lost 3-2, which helped Zico to win 2-0 on the night.
This came after Hassan had earlier played a key role in Zico’s disallowed strike, the left-footer cutting through a sea of Argentine defenders down the right, before his team-mate’s effort.
That combination of speed and trickery certainly evokes memories of Jota in his Celtic glory, the kind of player who can beat a man at any moment with a moment of magic or skill.
In LaLiga last season for Oviedo, Hassan averaged a stellar 1.6 dribbles per game for the relegated side, a real highlight in his preferred right-back position.
In comparison, in 2021/22 and 2022/23, Jota enjoyed the same average of 1.7 and 1.5, respectively, under Postecoglou’s watch, the Portuguese was a real game changer at his best.
The Glasgow giants were somewhat of a gamble on Jota at the time, given that he had only played 34 games for Benfica and 18 on loan at Real Valladolid, scoring just four goals in total.
By 2023, he was sold for a club record fee, a prime example of what Celtic recruitment should look like.
In the case of Hassan, his performance is not very strong on paper, he has six goals and four assists in 82 games for Oviedo, after moving elsewhere in Spain, he is still scratching the ground, and looks like a player who has just exploded.
Hopefully, like Jota before him, that rise will happen at Parkhead.
