The Hoops have been linked with a move for the Premiership’s top scorer this monthAndrew McGilvray and Mark Pirie Assistant Live Sports Editor
22:30, 22 Jan 2026
Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise (Image: SNS Group)
Celtic have been given a ‘hands-off’ warning over ‘gem’ Tawanda Maswanhise, as speculation mounts over the on-form Motherwell winger.
Boss Jens Berthel Askou says the summer sale of Lennon Miller means they’re under no pressure to sell, and are looking to hold onto the Zimbabwean until at least the end of this season. Maswanhise, 23, has scored 15 goals this season, and is reportedly attracting high-level interest from the Scottish champions, but Askou is in no hurry to sell his talisman.
The Dane said: “Tawanda has been a massive part of what we’re doing here, as we hoped when we brought him in before I arrived, that there was a gem that I could turn into something special. We are polishing that up more and more, with him, and now its turning into something really good, something that is really sparkling and shining.
“I think there’s still room for improvement for him, with us as a football club, and so that’s where we are with him and he’s really happy to be here. At some point the time will be right for him to move on, if he keeps doing what he’s doing no.
“It’s not like we don’t have any intention of selling players, but when we sit with players in the summer, extend their contracts, and we get them in, we make a plan for them for their development. Sometimes that plan goes faster and that will attract interest faster than we expected.
“There is plenty of interest but it’s still too early for us as a club to just throw everything away.
“You can replace anyone but it’s too early for us to break up these plans and make new ones.”
One player who has come in is Norwegian striker Eythor Bjorgolfsson, on a two-and-a-half year deal and Askou said: “At the end of the day, it’s about being in the right place.
“It’s not like suddenly the goals in modern football are scored from the corner flag, they’re still scored from inside an area where it’s usually quite crowded and you have to be good at moving and need to have a physical edge as well, and it’s not just on the ground, it’s in the air.
“He has some of these qualities that are really exciting, plus he is a handful and can add something to us.”
Stephen Welsh has returned to Celtic, meaning Motherwell need a defender, but Askou said: “It’s not like we’re saying we need this and this, but obviously we have an idea inside the walls of where there might be an opportunity to strengthen even more, but we will keep that to ourselves.”
Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.
Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport’s newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.