Celtic linked with former Saint-Étienne and Sunderland midfielder

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·30. September 2025

Celtic linked with former Saint-Étienne and Sunderland midfielder

Celtic has been alerted to another signing opportunity in the free agent market, 22 year-old, former Sunderland and Saint-Étienne midfielder Pierre Ekwah…

Pierre Ekwah of Sunderland celebrates scoring during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Stoke City at Stadium of Light on January 27, 2024. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Although the transfer window has shut, teams are still able to sign free agents, and a new name has now emerged as a potential option for the Hoops.

OneFootball Videos

Writing on his Substack, Mark Hendry noted that French midfielder Pierre Ekwah is in search of a new team following his departure from Saint-Étienne earlier this month. The 22-year-old parted ways with the club by mutual consent and is weighing up his options.

Pierre Ekwah of Sunderland reacts to his team conceding their first goal during the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg match between Luton Town v Sunderland at Kenilworth Road on May 16, 2023. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Ekwah signed for Sunderland in 2023 where he arrived from West Ham United’s academy and established himself as a consistent performer in their starting eleven. Standing out as a tall, athletic midfielder, he built a reputation for breaking up opposition attacks while also carrying the ball forward.

“Both Celtic and (the)Rangers have been made aware of a central midfielder available this month,” Hendry reported, adding that teams have already contacted his representatives about his circumstances.

Sunderland player Pierre Ekwah challenged by Birmingham player Ivan Sunjic during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Birmingham City at Stadium of Light on November 11, 2023. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Celtic have faced a thin midfield squad in recent weeks because of injuries and rotation. Although they have not yet approached Ekwah directly, his background in both English and French football could make him a tempting addition especially given Callum McGregor seems as if he is the only player that can play that ‘number six’ role, although some supporters have called for Arne Engels to be played there allowing the Celtic captain to be pushed further forward into a ‘eight’ role.

What is clear is that Brendan Rodgers so far this season has failed to find the right combination in the middle of the park this season. The McGregor-Hatate-Nygren combination looks disjointed. Prior to Saturday, Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo and Arne Engels have been used as bit part players. It is an issue the manager needs to get to grips with.

Pierre Ekwah (C) of Sunderland shoots to score during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Stoke City at Stadium of Light on January 27, 2024. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

The 22 year-old has ample time to develop, and being a free agent adds to his appeal since no transfer fee would be required. It’s unclear if Celtic will act, but Ekwah is now a name being discussed as a potential option for the Scottish champions, or he may still end up playing in Glasgow but not for us!

Conor Spence

Marcelo Saracchi may prove a smart stopgap, but his signing is also a symbol…continues on the next page…

Marcelo Saracchi of Celtic crosses the ball beyond Chris Cadden of Hibernian. Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 27 September 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO Shutterstock

When Celtic announced the loan signing of Marcelo Saracchi from Boca Juniors, few could have predicted he would emerge as one of the standout performers in Saturday’s goalless draw with Hibs and Sandman’s Man of the Match in his Definitive Ratings…

Marcelo Saracchi of Celtic crosses the ball beyond Chris Cadden of Hibernian. Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 27 September 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO Shutterstock

The Uruguayan full-back delivered a player-of-the-match performance that belied the strangeness of his arrival in Glasgow. Not only is the deal a loan without any option to buy, but Saracchi himself has made a career as a rotation player, rarely establishing himself as an undisputed starter at any of his previous clubs.

On the surface, the move was a wee bit puzzling, like a lot of Celtic’s transfer window business. Celtic had already secured a starting left-back in Kieran Tierney earlier in the summer, and they had also recruited Hayato Inamura, a young development signing earmarked for gradual integration.

Hayato Inamura of Celtic controls the ball during the pre-season friendly match between Celtic and Newcastle United at Celtic Park on July 19, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Adding a third left-back, particularly one without a long-term pathway, seemed like a contradiction of the club’s assumed recruitment philosophy, backing the manager with proven first-team quality while simultaneously investing in young players with resale potential.

Marcelo Saracchi at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Yet Saracchi’s arrival also points to a deeper issue within Celtic’s squad construction. The team is caught between two competing recruitment strategies. On one hand, Brendan Rodgers requires players ready to elevate the first team and implement his tactical demands.

On the other, the club hierarchy, led by head of football operations Paul Tisdale, is committed to lowering the age profile, improving squad value, and creating a conveyor belt of talent that can either challenge for starting roles or be sold for profit.

This tension is visible across the squad. Celtic currently boast five players who can reasonably claim left wing as their best position—Seb Tounekti, Jota, Daizen Maeda, Michel Ange Balikwisha, and even Yang —while the right flank is alarmingly thin. James Forrest, now 34, is the only natural right winger, with Yang more effective on the opposite side.

Benjamin Nygren, initially thought to be a wide reinforcement, has been repositioned as a central No.8 after preseason assessments.

Marcelo Saracchi at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Elsewhere, there is a glut of options at centre-back (five players for two starting spots and two more out on loan) and a steady pipeline of right-backs with Alistair Johnston, Tony Ralston, and B-team standout Colby Donovan, who has impressed during Johnston’s injury absence. But certain areas, such as the right wing and the No6 position perhaps remain under-resourced despite the overall size of the squad.

Benjamin Nygren and unused substitute Kieran Tierney of Celtic applauds the Celtic fans at full-time. Final score Celtic 0 Hibernian 0. Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 27 September 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

Saracchi’s signing encapsulates this dissonance. If Tierney’s injury record required cover and Rodgers remains unconvinced by Inamura’s readiness, then a short-term solution makes practical sense. But why a loan without an option to buy?

Perhaps Celtic already have a long-term target for next summer, or perhaps the deal reflects the club’s reluctance to commit to players who don’t fit their broader age-and-value model, or does the manager believe Inamura just needs time settling into Scottish football, and if so why was he not loaned out if gametime is hard to come by at Celtic?

This brings us to the heart of the debate, can Celtic’s apparent dual-track recruitment strategy actually work?

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers applauds the Celtic fans at full-time. Final score Celtic 0 Hibernian 0. Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 27 September 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

In theory, it offers the best of both worlds, Rodgers gets his eleven proven first-team players, while the club builds a future-proof squad through the rotation options for the first choice players. But the execution hinges on the quality of player identification and, crucially, the manager’s willingness to integrate young ‘project’ signings.

Recent history is not encouraging. The 2023 window saw the majority of new arrivals fail to make meaningful impacts, while players like Callum Osmand, Hayato Inamura, Simpson-Pusey, and Shin Yamada are already on the fringes.

Marcelo Saracchi at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

For this model to succeed, three conditions must be met.

First, scouting and recruitment must deliver players of a standard that Rodgers can trust, even if they are signed with development in mind.

Second, the manager must buy into the system, perhaps as part of a new contract, accepting that a portion of the budget will always be allocated to high-upside prospects rather than immediate starters.

Third, the pathway from the B-team and academy must be credible, with players like Donovan providing tangible proof that homegrown talents can earn opportunities, especially when injuries and suspensions impact the squad.

Anthony Ralston and Marcelo Saracchi – theRangers v Celtic, 31 August 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Rodgers’ future may hinge on whether such an arrangement can be formalised. If the manager is granted autonomy over first-team signings while the recruitment team identifies and develops the next wave of talent, the rotational options, harmony is possible. But if Rodgers feels undermined by a steady influx of players he deems unsuitable, friction is inevitable.

Marcelo Saracchi may prove a smart stopgap, but his signing is also a symbol, a reminder that Celtic’s recruitment strategy is still searching for balance.

Callum McGregor and Marcelo Saracchi. theRangers v Celtic, 31 August 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

The question now is whether Rodgers and the club can find a middle ground, or whether this uneasy compromise will eventually force a more dramatic reset.

Niall J

Continues on the next page…

Danny McGrain, David Potter & Willie Fernie – what a combination!

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Out now, order your copy at Celticstarbooks.com

We’re certainly Putting on the Style with the new promotion from Celtic Star Books. David Potter’s final book – Celtic in the Eighties – has been selling wonderfully well since its launch earlier this month. It is by far our fastest-ever seller. Order one of the last remaining copies of Celtic in the Eighties and Danny McGrain will sign it for you PLUS you’ll receive a copy of David Potter’s wonderful book on Willie Fernie as a free gift.

Celtic in the Eighties and Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style both by David Potter. Photo The Celtic Star

Danny McGrain has now agreed to sign the final batch of Celtic in the Eighties. Ordering is simple, just place your order for Celtic in the Eighties at celticstarbooks.com/shop and we’ll do the rest, ensuring your copy is signed by Danny and a complimentary Willie Fernie book dispatched by the next working day, whilst stocks last, from Wednesday of this week (Danny is signing the books on Tuesday evening).

Celtic 3-0 St Mirren, Scottish Premier League, Celtic Park, 15 May 1982.Celtic captain Danny McGrain collects the championship trophy as Roy Aitken looks on. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Danny McGrain signing copies of Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Photo: Celtic Star Books

Please note that stocks are now running very low indeed and the book will NOT be reprinted. Click on the image below to order. Please note that postage will only be charged on ONE book.

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Out now on Celtic Star Books. Click on image above to order.