A WARRIORS sensation Tawanda Maswanhise could be edging closer to a blockbuster January move to Scottish giants Celtic after Hoops boss Martin O’Neill was spotted scouting him during Motherwell’s narrow win over Ross County on Saturday.
Maswanhise has been in scintillating form this season and currently tops the Scottish Premiership goalscoring charts.
His 16th goal of the campaign — an instinctive strike shortly after the hour mark — secured a 1–0 victory at Fir Park and intensified speculation linking him with a move to one of world football’s most decorated clubs.
Celtic, who boast 120 major honours as of 2025, are reportedly monitoring the former Leicester City academy graduate closely. According to The Scottish Sun, O’Neill’s presence at the match was specifically to assess Maswanhise ahead of a potential bid.
Despite growing interest, Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou insists Maswanhise is not for sale.
Speaking to journalists after the match, Askou insisted that the club is under no financial pressure to sell its prized asset.
"Well, we don’t have to cash in on Maswanhise," Askou stated. "Am I calm about it? Yeah. The interest has been growing and will hopefully grow until we find the right moment with the player to move them on. That moment is not now.
"We can't keep Tawanda forever, and we shouldn't keep him forever. But there is no plan for any of our players to be moving on now, and there has been no one coming with a big wish on that. On the contrary, everyone is excited and committed about what we are doing, and that's the track we are taking."
- Maswanhise set for Leicester City breakthrough
- Warriors face depleted Super Eagles
- UK-based Warriors in Malawi hunt
- We could have done better, says Mapeza
Keep Reading
Askou pointed to the summer sale of Lennon Miller as a key reason behind the club’s financial stability.
“Rushing things might be good right now, but in the long-term, it’s sometimes better to be a little bit cool. We have no plans to make a big rebuild now."
Maswanhise’s rise to the top of the scoring charts has been rapid. After being released by Leicester City in 2024, he joined Motherwell on a short-term deal. His immediate impact convinced the club to hand him a long-term contract in August 2025, tying him to Fir Park until the summer of 2027.
Askou believes the winger’s potential remains “massive” and can still be developed further at Motherwell before a move to a bigger stage.
“There’s no doubt that there’s potential in Tawanda, but that potential we need to let grow with Motherwell Football Club, because there’s also potential in this club.
“And for now, that will grow together. And then I am sure that in the coming years we will see many of these players move on and do really well in the next stage, and some of them maybe even on the biggest stage.
“I know the new generation spends a lot of time on social media, and he’s probably also got some friends who think he needs to move on.
“And I know there are many Zimbabwe fans who follow our club, because he’s a very popular fellow.
“So there’s a lot of attention, but as I said before, it’s about using that attention as positive energy, because it’s going well.”
While Maswanhise continues to light up Scottish football, his international journey has also been eventful. Despite his club form, he was surprisingly benched by Warriors coach Mario Marinica for Zimbabwe’s opening two matches at the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
He responded emphatically in the final group match against South Africa, scoring a superb goal that reaffirmed his quality on the continental stage.
