Celtic are working on as many as four additions before finalising their Europa League squad, assistant manager Shaun Maloney has revealed, setting out the scale of the club’s late-window task while stopping short of promising that every deal will be completed.
The Scottish champions have already signed four first-team players during the window. However, Maloney told BBC Sport that several important areas still require attention over the closing days.
His comments point to three particularly relevant considerations: adding speed and power in midfield, recruiting a left-back capable of challenging Kieran Tierney and deciding whether a striker can be brought in. Crucially, Maloney stressed that no prospective signing had been confirmed.
Europa League registration comes first
The immediate pressure comes from two different cut-offs. The Europa League squad is to be registered by Wednesday at 23:59, while the Scottish transfer deadline is on Thursday at 17:00 BST.
That sequence makes Wednesday’s European registration deadline the first major test of Celtic’s plans. The club may continue its transfer work until the Scottish window closes the following afternoon, but Maloney’s stated ambition is to have prospective additions available for the Europa League squad if possible.
The later domestic deadline is not a decision made by Celtic. As BBC Sport’s explanation of the Scottish window notes, the Scottish FA ultimately determines when it closes. The reported feeling this year was that clubs wanted additional time after the main leagues had shut their windows.
For Celtic, that extra period offers some room to work, but it does not remove the earlier European constraint. Maloney described three or four positions as particularly important, making that figure a statement of intent rather than confirmation that the same number of players will arrive.
Midfield profile and Tierney competition identified
Maloney’s clearest description of the desired midfield addition concerned profile rather than identity. Celtic want greater speed and power in that area, qualities which the assistant manager believes would give the squad an extra dimension in certain matches.
Reports have linked Celtic with Joel van den Berg, a midfielder at PSV Eindhoven, but that remains only a link. It does not establish negotiations, an agreement or an imminent transfer, and Maloney did not confirm any prospective arrival.
Left-back is another defined priority. Maloney hopes Celtic can recruit a player to provide cover and direct competition for Scotland international Kieran Tierney. His message was that the club need an alternative in the position and somebody capable of continuing to challenge Tierney.
That is more specific than a general desire for depth, but it still does not identify a confirmed candidate. Celtic’s requirement is clear; the player who might satisfy it is not.
Striker decision tied to the closing hours
The striker situation appears to have an especially short timeframe. Maloney indicated that any signing in that area may materialise within the next 24 to 48 hours or Celtic will proceed with their current options. That preserves the possibility of an addition without suggesting that a deal is certain.
Maloney was asked about a possible loan move for Chelsea forward Shim Mheuka but declined to discuss prospective signings. His broader response was unambiguous: nobody had been confirmed. Any named link must therefore remain separate from Celtic’s verified positional priorities.
On Hatate, who has scored 33 goals in 191 Celtic appearances since joining in January 2022, Maloney said: “If he does move on then he'll remember how good a player he was for this club.”
There is no confirmed offer, negotiation, destination or completed transfer for Hatate in Maloney’s update. His situation is therefore another unresolved element rather than a departure around which Celtic can definitively plan.
The distinction matters throughout this late-window push. Celtic are attempting to strengthen as many as four important areas, with midfield attributes, left-back cover and a possible striker addition all in focus. Yet the numbers remain an ambition under deadline pressure: Wednesday night shapes the Europa League squad, Thursday afternoon closes the Scottish window, and no incoming deal has yet been confirmed by Maloney.
