Agent Martin O'Neill spotted at Premiership ground as Hoops boss turns stealthy scout for Scottish Cup tie
Fans have deduced that the Celtic gaffer was looking at a Scottish Premiership rival transfer target.
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill and Coach Mark Fotheringham were spotted at Fir Park on Saturday afternoon for Motherwell’s Scottish Cup fourth round victory over Ross County.
The high-flying Steelmen continued their unbeaten record in 2026 against a struggling Staggies side, who are at risk of back to back relegations this season in the Scottish Championship. It wasn’t a vintage performance from Jens Berthel Askou’s men, who have been praised relentlessly this season for their free-flowing brand of football, but nevertheless, they got the job done thanks to a strike on the hour mark from talisman Tawanda Maswanhise.
While seeing managers in the stands is fairly commonplace in Scottish football, usually this takes place when a rival boss is scouting out the opposition for an upcoming fixture, however, as Celtic and Motherwell aren’t scheduled to face off until March 14, fans are putting two and two together as to why O’Neill was in attendance in Lanarkshire.
O’Neill on Maswanhise scouting mission?
With the lack of depth and quality Celtic currently possess in the final third, O’Neill has been crying out for a striker in the January window, preferably before their mammoth fixture against league leaders Hearts next weekend. While his reason for going to Fir Park remains unclear, inevitably, speculation has started that it was to take a look at Maswanhise in the flesh.
The 23-year old has been a revelation in the SPFL Premiership this season, second only to Lawrence Shankland in the goalscoring charts having been on target on 10 occasions. Having scored the winner against County, O’Neill must’ve liked what he saw.
Rangers have also been reportedly linked with the former Leicester City man, however Motherwell chiefs recently revealed the Govan interest was news to them. The Zimbabwe International was signed by Stuart Kettlewell from the Foxes eighteen months ago, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2027.
‘We can’t keep him forever’ - Askou
The Motherwell boss has already had a key member of his squad snatched up by O’Neill when Stephen Welsh was recalled from his loan spell earlier in the week. While Askou says there is no immediate plans to cash in on their star man, but concedes, given their impressive start to the season, that it will be a challenge to hold on to their key players.
When asked about O’Neill’s presence at the match, he told the Daily Record: “I am [calm]. Look, there has been interest in our players already in the summer window. That interest has been growing and will hopefully grow and grow until we find the right moment with the player to move them on.
“That moment is not now. We’re halfway through the season, a fantastic season so far, but there’s still room for improvement and that’s what we’re going to chase. We can’t keep him forever, and we shouldn’t keep him forever. But there’s no plan of any one of our players moving on now, and there has been no one coming with a big wish on that.”