Celtic officially completed the signing of Haissem Hassan from Real Oviedo to bolster Martin O’Neill‘s attacking options before the end of the transfer window.
The Hoops agreed a deal rising from £6m to £9m to sign the Egypt international from Spanish, and he has put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Paradise.
Celtic have also reached an agreement with Paderborn to sign central midfielder Mika Baur for a fee of £6.8m, in a move that could see Reo Hatate finally allowed to move on from Parkhead.
The Scottish Premiership giants may not be done there, though, as they have also been linked with an interest in £12m-rated Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis in recent weeks.
Why Gvidis Gineitis would be a risky signing for Celtic
Paying a club-record fee to sign the Lithuania midfielder would be a risky move by the Scottish giants because he has yet to show what he is capable of in a dominant team.
A fee of £12m would eclipse the £11m that the Hoops paid to sign Kasper Hogh, who scored a hat-trick against Kilmarnock last weekend, from Bodo/Glimt earlier this summer.
Gineitis has shown signs of promise, scoring five goals in 32 caps for his country at senior level, but he produced zero goals and one assist in 31 appearances in all competitions for Torino last term.
The 22-year-old midfield talent was also solid, rather than outstanding, defensively for the Italian side, as he won 56% of his ground duels and 51% of his aerial duels.
|
25/26 Serie A |
Gvidas Gineitis |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
29 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.9 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Tackles per game |
1.6 |
|
Interceptions per game |
0.8 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
56% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
51% |
It would, therefore, be a risky move to sign the Lithuanian star for a club-record fee because there is no evidence to suggest that he is likely to be an outstanding contributor offensively or defensively.
Gineitis upgrade is pushing to sign for Celtic
That is why the board should consider making an official approach for a cheaper player who is also very keen on making a move to Parkhead this summer.
According to CeltsAreHere, Hibernian central midfielder Miguel Chaiwa is pushing to sign for Celtic before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Zambia international would not turn down the chance to play for the Hoops, which suggests that personal terms would not be a problem for either party.
However, it adds that the Scottish giants are yet to make a formal approach to Hibs after holding talks with the player’s representatives earlier in the summer, but Chaiwa is willing to push to make it happen if they decide to make an offer.
The Hoops should now go in with a bid for the Zambian star, who is valued at around £4m by the Premiership side, because he would be an even better signing than Gineitis.
Chaiwa would be £8m cheaper than the Torino star, instantly making him a more attractive option for the club, and could have more to offer on the pitch.
|
25/26 Premiership |
Chaiwa per 90 |
Rank vs DMs |
|---|---|---|
|
Duels won |
6.69 |
Top 15% |
|
Duel success rate |
55.6% |
Top 29% |
|
Aerial duels won |
1.24 |
Top 45% |
|
Fouls won |
3.20 |
Top 1% |
|
Interceptions |
1.19 |
Top 28% |
|
Ball recoveries |
5.16 |
Top 42% |
The 22-year-old star ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of defensive metrics in the Premiership last term, winning a higher percentage of his duels and winning more duels per 90 than Gineitis did in the Serie A.
He has proven that he can be outstanding out of possession in the Scottish top-flight, as Celtic saw first-hand when he won six of his eight ground duels in a dominant performance to help Hibs beat them 2-1 at Parkhead in February.
The Zambia international conceded an unfortunate own goal against Rangers in the new campaign last weekend, but he also won five of his seven ground duels and both of his aerial battles in a 2-1 win for Hibernian.
Chaiwa is a combative and powerful midfielder who has proven himself in the Premiership and would arrive at Parkhead as a star who has shown that he can handle the intensity and physicality of the division.
The £4m-rated star is similar to Gineitis in the sense that he does not offer much in the way of attacking quality, scoring one goal last season, but he is a superior option to the Lithuania international off the ball.
That is why the Hoops should push to sign the midfielder for £4m instead of taking a greater risk with a £12m move for Gineitis, as his performances for Hibs suggest that he would be an even better addition to the squad.
