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
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3 Comments
Why would Engels go from a team playing champions league football to a championship side? Shows that the money in england is ridiculous, that’s all it can be money. West sham not going to win anything.
A great example of trying to use the money factor, to make the decision making process that MoN is undertaking, in trying to form our squad. Especially with the rebuilding process involved imo?
Any incoming signings will want to know where and how they are actually going to fit into a managers plans?
Especially with the inclusion of being involved within a 25man European squad, on offer with ourselves?
MoN also has to take into account, that he won’t be in the material position, beyond this season, yet we are looking at offering 4 year contracts to players?
So massive appreciation should be given to MoN in already going to leave our club in a far better position, than the mess he inherited.
Yet we still don’t know, how MoN intends to finalise our 25man European squad, just yet?
Your theory may be correct?
But goes out of the window, if MoN is only looking to have 6 midfield options?
At present his 20man SPFL match day squad, is consisting of 6 midfield options with 6 attacking options? Is that going to remain his intentions, which means some players are going to miss out upon a match day squad place, all the while a totally fit squad is in operation?
Using the money factor involved within our club, is nothing more than a poor excuse offered, especially with the intentions of keeping the player trading model strong?
So it’s really the managerial decisions taken, that should be looked upon, far moreso than the money spending factor imo?
REALLY like Ermin Mahmic tae. 22 yr old, Bosnian international. 5 caps, 2 goals both at the recent World Cup. Strong, silky midfielder, great shots, crosses & passin. Can take players on at will. Future star. Massive sell-on potential.
Sigur also VERY good. Really like him. Gets really stuck in tae a tackle. Good feet. Good shot on him. Intelligent passin. Candian international & can play CM or RB apparently.
No seen other bhoy yet.
Bring them aw! 💚