5 winners and losers as Celtic conform the signing of Haissem Hassan

Celtic supporters were demanding that the board spent big this summer and, well, they have seemingly got their wish. On Wednesday night, the club officially confirmed the signing of Haissem Hassan from Real Oviedo. At £9 million, this matches the fees paid to sign Odsonne Édouard and Jota, behind only new recruit Kasper Høgh as well as Arne Engels and Adam Idah in the club's entire history.

Born in Paris, the 24 year old switched his international allegiance to Egypt earlier this year, debuting during March friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Spain. Hassan did not start any of the Pharaohs' World Cup group stage matches, before coming off the bench as they ousted Australia on penalties, earning a starting role against Argentina in the round of 16 as Egypt were scandalously eliminated.

At club level, he has bounced around various French and Spanish clubs, namely LB Châteauroux, Villarreal, Mirandés and Sporting Gijón before joining Real Oviedo. He was a key figure as los Azules won promotion back to the Primera División for the first time since 2001, before featuring in 37 La Liga matches last season, including 20 starts. Hassan is a right-winger and, considering the fee, has been recruited to be a starting figure. So, who are the winners and losers of this deal?

Kasper Høgh: Winner

After a less than convincing debut against Dundee, Kasper Høgh more than showed what he is capable of on Sunday. The Danish international broke the deadlock inside two minutes against Kilmarnock, going on to bag a first half hat-trick as the Celts cruised to a 5-1 win at Rugby Park.

All three of Høgh's goals in Ayrshire were from inside the penalty area, as were all four of his shots last Monday night. Thus, the addition of a new winger can only be good news for the centre-forward.

Camilo Durán: Winner... but also possibly loser

When Camilo Durán joined from Qarabağ for £6 million, he looked set to be the first-choice centre-forward and Daizen Maeda replacement. The Colombian started brightly, scoring in all three pre-season appearances against Sporting CP, Middlesbrough and then A.C. Milan.

However, Durán has subsequently rather been overshadowed by Høgh, thereby starting the first two Premiership matches on the right-wing, which clearly is not his best position. So, on one hand, Hassan's arrival could relegate Durán to the bench. On the other, the 24 year old may be moved from the wing to centre-forward, where he is more comfortable but only time will tell if he benefits or suffers.

James Forrest: Loser

Managers come and go at Celtic, but James Forrest remains omnipresent. He has been a first team figure since 2009 but, now 35 years old, is very much a peripheral figure. The Scotland international has come off the bench late on during both Premiership games to start the new season.

Last year, despite all the turmoil, Forrest only started nine times in all competitions, of which just two came in the league, against Aberdeen in August and Falkirk in October. With a new signing having been recruited directly in his position, this cannot be good news for his chances of regular action.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha: Loser

Despite the widespread criticism, Celtic are often shrewd in the transfer market. However, they've rarely wasted money quite as badly as has proven to be the case with Michel-Ange Balikwisha. After chasing him for two years, the Hoops signed the winger from Royal Antwerp for £5 million a year ago.

However, since arriving in Glasgow, he has made only 14 appearances, of which just three have been starts, scoring zero goals. He switched his international allegiance from Belgium to DR Congo last year, but this nightmare club campaign saw him left out of Sébastien Desabre's World Cup squad. The arrival of another winger surely means Balikwisha will be sold, or at least they will attempt to move him on.

The Celtic board: Winner

Not so long ago, fans were boycotting pre-season friendlies in protest against the board. While expensive new signings do not solve all of the supporters' issues, they certainly help. Bringing in Høgh and Hassan for a combined £20 million is a clear statement of ambition. It remains to be seen if the Egyptian has arrived in time to impact the season-defining Champions League play-off against LASK.

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