Celtic pundit Allan Edgar has recently been discussing the club’s new loan signing Mohamed Elyounoussi.
Edgar appeared on the latest episode of the Cynic podcast where the panel talked about how the club could go about doing their business in the summer transfer window. Edgar, though, talked about Elyounoussi and shed some light on the Norwegian’s situation.
Very recently, Celtic confirmed that Elyounoussi has signed another loan deal at Parkhead. This deal will expire at the end of the 2020/21 season. The 2019/20 campaign had also seen him arrive on loan from Southampton.
But while talking about Elyounoussi, Edgar revealed that he is surprised with how quickly Celtic moved to rope the player in.
He said: “I don’t think Mo Elyounoussi is within our budget because I think he would be a – three years left on his contract, 25 years old – he’s a £13, 14, 15million player, I would imagine.
“The thing that surprised me is we were able to get him so quickly in the window.”
Can Celtic afford to sign Elyounoussi permanently in the future?
No, he'll be too expensive
Yes, we can afford him
“I thought this would have been one that dragged on because he would maybe want to see what options come when the English Premier League season ends and the fact that it has happened so quickly probably highlights to me that the player has made a conscious decision here.”
Clearly, Edgar believes that while Elyounoussi’s actual value makes it very tough for Celtic to sign him permanently, it is a bit of a shock that the loan move has happened so quickly.
TIF Thoughts…
Before Celtic sealed the loan deal for Elyounoussi, it was reported that Real Betis were also interested in the former FC Basel man. The fact that he has decided to sign for Celtic and not anyone else shows that while the club has been quick to make the move, the player has been interested in making it possible as well.
Elyounoussi missed 11 games due to injury in the 2019/20 season and even though it did hamper his progress, the player still managed to contribute to 13 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions. This shows that the quality is there and the numbers could’ve been higher, if not for his injury.
While no one knows if there’s a chance of Celtic signing Elyounoussi permanently in the future, Hoops fans should enjoy this loan stint while it lasts.