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Celtic could cool Ghedjemis transfer interest as Maloney makes Hassan admission

· Ryan McDonald · 2026-08-07 · nguồn gốc

Fares Ghedjemis could see Celtic transfer interest cooled as Shaun Maloney makes Haissem Hassan admission The Hoops assistant admits Hassan's potential arrival could be enough for the champions' wide areas Shaun Maloney says Martin O’Neill is on the road to recovery after being discharged from hospital. But a decision has yet to be made on whether the Celtic boss will return to the dugout for tomorrow’s trip to Kilmarnock. O’Neill is back home after undergoing a small procedure during the week following a health scare. The 74-year-old was absent from Lennoxtown on Friday as Maloney and Mark Fotheringham oversaw training. Maloney said: “I went to see him, so it was really positive. He got out of hospital on Thursday. He was in good form - loads better than he was Monday or Tuesday. “Hopefully those sort of positive feelings that he has continues.” Asked if the veteran will be on the touchline at Rugby Park, Maloney said: “There’s no timeline. Even for the game at the weekend, it's a sort of day-to-day. “We saw him on Thursday night with regards to the preparation for the game. “I'll speak to him this afternoon and then he'll make a call. If it's this weekend, great. If it isn't, then we'll prepare for it without him.” Assistant Maloney insists he’ll be ready to take charge if Sunday comes too soon for O’Neill. He said: “It’s a strange... we'll definitely miss him if he's not there. But you also have to respect what's happened the last few days. “The impact that he's had since October has been nothing short of incredible, really. “The things that he does with the players and the staff. So we will miss him, but we'll be prepared. “I will speak to him again but the squad will be pretty similar. “There hasn’t been any injuries so we can speak about the team and what he wants to do if he doesn’t make it. “He hasn’t made that call yet and we will probably have to wait until Saturday afternoon.” Meanwhile Celtic are on the verge of landing Haissem Hassan after a breakthrough in talks this week. The Egypt World Cup star has been left out of Real Oviedo’s squad for today’s friendly with Le Havre. Celts have also targeted Frosinone's left-footed right wide man Fares Ghedjemis. But with long-term crock Jota returning to light training, Maloney hinted the champions will prioritise other areas if a deal for Hassan is finalised. He said: "I'm not sure how close it is. I know there's a lot of things in the media, but I'm not sure how close either is. “On that right side, I think if we get one in with a certain profile and we keep everyone, I think that might be enough. But I think we have to wait and see. “I think the job that Yang did. Seb Tounekti can play off the right, we've got young Sean McArdle coming through, we've got James Forrest. “I think what we want is to feel like the nine position where it's like, this is really difficult to see who's starting. But, yeah, let's cross that bridge, hopefully, when we get some work done.” Celtic have broken their transfer record and splashed out £17million on new strikers Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran. But with a £40m Champions League play-off against LASK around the corner, the hierarchy have been slammed for not getting more business over the line. In an ideal world, Maloney confessed he’d have liked more new faces bedded in for the new season but said: "I think that's fair, but I think probably everyone in the club would say that. “I think how we feel about that nine position, I think we would love to feel like that in every position, but I'm also realistic that it doesn't work like that in the transfer window. “Some things take longer than others. I think as a coach or as a manager, you always want these players as quickly as possible. “We've done probably over 40 sessions now in pre-season, so you'd love them on the very first day, but you're also realistic. "So in an ideal world, yes, but I think we also have to work with the squad that we have. We've got really good players and then when the new ones come in, you try and integrate them as quickly as possible.”