Celtic make surprise Kenny decision after Hogh's club-record move

Celtic assistant manager Shaun Maloney has confirmed that Johnny Kenny will remain at the club this season, despite the arrival of record signing Kasper Hogh. Kenny, 23, spent the second half of last season on loan at League One side Bolton Wanderers, scoring six goals in 14 league appearances. Bolton are believed to be keen on a permanent deal, and Kenny had been tipped for a possible exit after missing pre-season with a knee injury. However, Maloney said the forward has spoken with manager Martin O'Neill and will stay in the squad. "At the moment, yeah, I think he spoke to Martin and he's staying. He's part of the squad. I think there was something online about the squad number, that was incorrect. So, yeah, Johnny's part of the squad. I'd say he's just about fit now. He hasn't been fit during pre-season. He's one of ours and he's fighting to get minutes on the pitch," Maloney said. Hogh arrived from Bodo/Glimt for a club-record fee of €12.9 million, while Celtic also added Qarabag forward Camilo Duran as they strengthen their attack for the 2026-27 season. Kenny, a Republic of Ireland international, has scored seven goals in 32 appearances for Celtic since joining from Sligo Rovers and is under contract until 2029. Maloney also addressed Paulo Bernardo's loan move to Polish club Gornik Zabrze. "Paulo and Martin spoke. There was a loan offer for him in January and we really wanted him to stay. He's a brilliant professional and a great player, but he needed to play games. Paulo and Martin came to the decision that if he wasn't going to be a regular here, he should go and get games. He is a great professional, a great guy and trains 100 per cent every day, even when he doesn't make squads. We will see where he is at in 12 months' time," Maloney added.