French football sensation up for grabs as Celtic and Rangers handed stunning free agent chance after £5m transfer collapse

Former Chelsea and West Ham youth product Pierre Ekwah is making headlines after abruptly ending his contract with St Etienne, just months after the French side paid six million euros to secure his services on a permanent basis. Ekwah, who rose to prominence at Sunderland with 63 Championship appearances, played 29 matches in Ligue 1 last season, but was unable to prevent St Etienne’s relegation.

Despite St Etienne’s efforts to bounce back immediately to France’s top flight, Ekwah reportedly refused to play in Ligue 2 and demanded his contract be terminated, a request the club accepted ahead of the closure of the transfer window on September 1. Since then, the 23-year-old defensive midfielder, also capable as a centre-back, has not featured in any fixture for St Etienne.

Ekwah’s legal team maintains that his contract’s annulment enables him to join another club as a free agent. They reference the outcome of the Lassana Diarra case, which found FIFA’s transfer regulations to be incompatible with European Union law, in support of Ekwah’s eligibility to sign outside the standard transfer windows.

Amid this contractual drama, Ekwah’s representatives have reportedly initiated discussions with several English clubs. According to sources relayed by Inside Futbol and journalist Mark Hendry, both Celtic and Rangers have been made aware of Ekwah’s availability, positioning the Scottish rivals as potential destinations.

Celtic currently rely on midfielders like Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Arne Engels, and Benjamin Nygren, with Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo providing further depth. Their defensive core features Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales, and Dane Murray.

Rangers, managed by Russell Martin, have a midfield group consisting of Joe Rothwell, Thelo Aasgaard, Connor Barron, Mohamed Diomande, and Nico Raskin, alongside promising youngster Bailey Rice. In central defence, Martin can select from John Souttar, Derek Cornelius, Nasser Djiga, and fringe player Clinton Nsiala.

While neither Celtic nor Rangers have made public statements regarding Ekwah, the midfielder’s sudden availability and experience at a young age could make him a significant acquisition for either club. The coming weeks may see a bidding war in Scotland as both sides assess the benefits of adding a versatile, battle-tested player to their squads.

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