Celtic Track Ligue 1 Ball-Winner For January: Is He The Engels Answer?

Celtic Track Ligue 1 Ball-Winner For January: Is He The Engels Answer? CeltsAreHere reports on X that Simon Ebonog is far more than another name on a long Celtic shortlist. The Le Havre midfielder is under serious consideration at Parkhead, and Celtic are monitoring him ahead of a possible January bid, although no formal move has been made yet. The timing makes sense. Martin O’Neill has said Celtic must go back into the market for an Arne Engels-type midfielder in January after the summer failed to produce a like-for-like replacement, and Callum McGregor turns 33 next month. Celtic lead the Premiership by four points after Liam Scales beat Kilmarnock, yet a 2-2 draw with Dundee United and a 0-2 defeat at Falkirk came within four days around the turn of the month. What Ebonog offers Ebonog is a 22-year-old, right-footed defensive midfielder from Yaoundé who has started all 10 of his Ligue 1 appearances for Le Havre this season, 877 minutes in total. His strength is winning the ball. He has made 19 tackles and 16 interceptions, and he has won 55.4 per cent of his duels. He also keeps things simple in possession, completing 88.9 per cent of his passes, and one yellow card suggests he wins the ball cleanly. The limits are just as clear. He has no goals or assists in those 10 starts, his FotMob rating sits at a modest 6.99, and a hamstring problem cost him time last December. Le Havre extended his contract until 2029, so they hold the leverage, and FotMob values him at €6.4m, around £5.5m, his highest ever. Should Celtic make Ebonog their January priority? GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – NOVEMBER 08: Celtic manager Martin O’Neill arrives prior to the William Hill Premiership 2026/27 match between Celtic and Kilmarnock at Celtic Park on November 08, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) Only if he arrives as the second midfielder through the door. Engels gave Celtic goals and forward passing from a deeper role, and Ebonog offers neither. He is a screener who protects the back line and recycles possession, and that has real value because McGregor cannot play at this level forever and Celtic need a succession plan. The harder issue is what O’Neill’s side actually lacks. Scottish opponents sit deep at Celtic Park, so the gap is a midfielder who breaks that block with a pass or a late run, not another who wins the ball back. A fee near £5.5m would suit a 22-year-old with that defensive output, but his contract means Le Havre will ask for more. Celtic should identify the creator first. If Ebonog comes alone, O’Neill will have solved McGregor’s succession and left Engels’ goals unreplaced.