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Gvidas Gineitis would be perfect Arne Engels replacement and Niko Sigur would be a welcome addition to the Celtic squad… Now that Arne Engels has completed his £25 million move to West Ham, it leaves Celtic with a gaping void in the middle of the park, and one we desperately need to rectify. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is strangely suspended from the next three European matches while Reo Hatate is out of favour and heading for the exit door shortly. Miko Baur has of course signed, and he looked bright and sharp on his debut against Dundee United on Saturday evening, but he’s clearly not direct replacement for Arne, with Martin O’Neill even admitting as much. Perhaps he is the Hatate replacement? Several names have been linked with a move, with two names in particular on the list that would be perfect additions to strengthen our midfield, with it looking particularly weak going into Wednesday night’s hugely important Champions League playoff match against LASK, the Austrian double winners from last season. One of those names Celtic is currentlly being linked with is Gvidas Gineitis of Torino, the Lithuanian International who the club have been tracking for an extended period with interest increasing over the past few weeks. Gineitis won’t come cheap however, with a price valuation of £12 million being mentioned, but we have money in the bank, have just deposited another £22m from the Arne Engels transfer so we’re more than capable of concluding this deal. The 22 year old is your typical box to box midfielder, with his energy off the ball also a key trait. At 6ft 3in tall the 29 times capped Lithuanian also offers a physical presence, so he very much ticks all the box requirements in regard to filling that void. His price tag might seem a little steep, but Arne is a fine example of spending big and reaping the rewards, something that Brendan Rodgers was urging the club to do last summer and the Celtic Fans Collective have been pushing the same message since the dismal summer 2025 transfer window closed. The other player who is of serious interest is Hajduk Split’s Canadian international Niko Sigur, who would cost around £4 million, and he is reportedly extremely keen to make the move to Paradise. Sigur is more of a defensive midfielder, who isn’t afraid to get stuck in, but is more than comfortable on the ball, and is suited to breaking up play in the middle of the park, a trait that we badly lack in our midfield. Maybe Martin O’Neill will recognise many of these traits from his recollections of Neil Lennon playing for him at both Leicester City and of course at Celtic? The 22 year old is also capable of playing at right back, so is very much a player of great versatility. Morning Gossip: Niko Sigur from Hajduk Split latest link. Plays right back or midfield so has the versatility we need. Been scouted for a while so seems plausible. Hatate perhaps off to Greece. Midfield worries me for LASK, do we have the energy & aggression to take them on? HH pic.twitter.com/RkLhmBUmub — Celtic Gossip (@CelticGossip) August 16, 2026 Both players would likely cost a combined £15 million, but with the Arne Engels money deposited in the account we can more than afford to splash out and end up with a stronger midfield even with the sale of Arne Engels and most probably Reo Hatate. Celtic would always state that the intention is to come out of the transfer window stronger than we went into it but actions speak louder than words. Making these two signings would conclusively prove that the Celtic ambition in the boardroom now mirrors the expectations of the Celtic support for the club to be the best possible version of itself. It’s not much to ask really. Just an Ordinary Bhoy HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below… NEW BOOK LAUNCH FROM CELTIC STAR BOOKS…Celtic in the Fifties in two volumes, available to pre-order now… Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!