Celtic sell Hatate and Kenny, sign Sorensen on loan as transfer window activity continues
Quick Look
- Celtic have sold Japan midfielder Reo Hatate to Burnley and striker Johnny Kenny to Preston North End while completing the season-long loan signing of Parma midfielder Oliver Sorensen.
- Assistant manager Shaun Maloney said the club still needs a left-back to compete with Kieran Tierney and aims to replace the qualities lost from Arne Engels' departure.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Celtic have been active in the transfer window, having signed four first-team players so far and previously selling Arne Engels to West Ham United.
Celtic have sold Japan midfielder Reo Hatate to Burnley and striker Johnny Kenny to Preston North End as they completed the signing of Parma midfielder Oliver Sorensen on a season-long loan.
The 28-year-old Hatate has signed a three-year contract, while the 23-year-old Kenny has penned a four-year deal with Championship rivals Preston after spending last season on loan to Bolton Wanderers.
Sorensen, meanwhile, will spend the season in Glasgow, with Celtic having an option to buy the 24-year-old who signed for the Italian side in August 2025 after five years with Midtjylland in Denmark.
Celtic have signed four first-team players so far this window and have also been linked with Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and PSV Eindhoven midfielder Joel van den Berg.
Talking before the latest activity on English football's transfer deadline night, Celtic assistant manager Shaun Maloney said he hoped another left-back can be recruited to compete with Scotland international Kieran Tierney.
Sorensen will help fill the void created by Arne Engels' sale to West Ham United - and now Hatate's exit from the same position.
"There's some key positions that we still need a bit of work on in the next couple of days," Maloney said before Wednesday's Scottish Premiership visit by Aberdeen.
"There's certain things that Arne brought that we need to replace and the quicker we do that, it gives us just that extra dimension, extra speed, extra power within that midfield because I think technically we've got some brilliant players. I think we just need that slightly different profile, which we need in certain games.
"Kieran's started the season really well. You never quite sure how this season's going to go with all the World Cup guys because of such a short break. We need that back-up in that position. We need somebody to keep challenging KT.
"That's a position that we've really needed to fill and with the right type. We need the right profile of player in there."
Open Questions
- Will Celtic sign a left-back to compete with Kieran Tierney?
- Will Celtic exercise the option to buy Oliver Sorensen at the end of the loan?
- Are there any other transfer targets Celtic are pursuing before the window closes?
