Top journalist reveals Celtic missed out of another midfield transfer target | OneFootball

Top Scottish journalist Stephen McGowan has revealed that Celtic missed out on another midfield transfer target during the recent window. Celtic ultimately failed to sign top target Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis in September 2026 after talks stalled over valuation disagreements and failure to register him in time for European competition.

In the wake of the defeat to Rangers at Ibrox, McGowan revealed to Graham Spiers that there was another transfer target after talks with Torino broke down but the deal was not done, allowing the player to move to the Middle East.

“It goes back to this point about the lack of a number six,” McGowan said. “I mean, they knew they needed one. I know for a fact they had one in their sights before the window closed.

“They decided not to sign him for whatever reason, and now he’s gone to the Middle East. So only they can answer why that was the case.”

McGowan is one of the most reliable reporters when it comes to Celtic. He has been vocal in his criticism of the Celtic hierarchy but offers a balanced approach, clearly identifying the areas that need surgery. The information from McGowan lends to the theory that Celtic are slow and ponderous in the market.

It remains to be seen who the midfielder was that Celtic attempted to sign. Clearly the club identified the area of the park as being in dire need of improvement. Callum McGregor is a Celtic legend and his comments speak volumes about the need to improve collectively. However, he was overrun in the middle of the park in a tape that’s played out so often in recent derbies.

Celtic signed Joel van den Berg and Oliver Sorensen as they looked for midfield cover. Although, the Lithuanian powerhouse appeared to be the primary target from June and the breakdown of the deal was a bitter blow to all.