The Pharaoh answers the call: Haitham Hassan officially joins Celtic
The Egyptian winger begins a new professional experience
Scottish club Celtic confirmed the signing of Egyptian winger Haitham Hassan from Spain's Real Oviedo on Wednesday, tying him to a four-year deal with the option of a further season once the necessary international clearance came through.
At 24, Hassan becomes the latest addition for Martin O'Neill's side. He will wear the number 23 shirt for the Scottish champions, who play in the Champions League this season.
Hassan caught the eye in an Egypt shirt with a string of standout displays at the 2026 World Cup, none more so than in the round-of-16 clash against Argentina.
He had left Spain hours earlier, travelling to the United Kingdom to finalise the move after negotiations between the two clubs reached their closing stages.
Haitham Hassan: from Spain to Celtic
Born in France, Hassan launched his professional career at Châteauroux before crossing into Spain in 2020 to join Villarreal.
Spells at Mirandés and Sporting Gijón followed, and in the summer of 2024 he made the switch to Real Oviedo.
He proved central to Oviedo's promotion to La Liga in his first season, then held down a regular place in the Spanish top flight last term.
Those impressive World Cup performances with his national team turned heads across Europe. A clutch of clubs chased him, but Celtic won the race.
The financial details of the deal
Press reports put the basic value of the deal at around 6 million pounds sterling, with performance-related add-ons that could push the total to 8.5 million.
Villarreal stand to profit too. The Spanish club held onto 40% of the player's resale rights when he left for Real Oviedo, so they will bank around 2.4 million euros from his move to Celtic.
Hassan's absence from Real Oviedo's squad in the recent friendly against France's Le Havre had fuelled speculation about his future. His exclusion, it turned out, owed nothing to injury. He was simply on his way out.
Haitham Hassan: I had to be here
Hassan made no secret of his delight at getting the deal done, calling the chance to play for Celtic a great honour.
The Egyptian winger said: "It is a wonderful moment and a real honour for me to join Celtic, this great club with an exceptional history and amazing fans."
He added: "When I learned of Celtic's interest in signing me, I felt that I had to come here and be part of this club."
He continued: "I am very much looking forward to getting to know all my new teammates and taking on the challenges that await us. I want to play my part in achieving success and making our fans happy."
Celtic manager: Haitham is capable of leaving his mark
O'Neill welcomed the winger's arrival and pointed to the competition Celtic had seen off to land him.
The manager said: "We are very happy to bring Haitham to Celtic, and I believe the club has done a great job in signing a player of this quality, especially with a number of other clubs interested in him."
He added: "He possesses the ability and experience that will help him produce distinguished performances with us, having proven himself at the highest levels in domestic and international football."
He concluded: "I know he is very excited to join us, and I am sure our fans will enjoy the energy and attacking desire that Haitham will add to matches. I hope he becomes a very important element in our line-up in the period ahead."
