Journalist Craig Swan has talked about Mohamed Elyounoussi and whether Celtic will sign him permanently following the conclusion of his loan deal.
Swan was a guest on the latest episode of the Record Celtic podcast and the panel discussed multiple issues involving the Hoops.
They spoke about the situation of multiple Celtic players and one man they focused on was Elyounoussi. Swan believes that the Norwegian’s case is a ‘fascinating’ one and he isn’t sure whether the Bhoys will want to sign him permanently or not.
This is Elyounoussi’s second consecutive loan spell at Celtic, which followed his move to Southampton from Basel in the summer of 2018 for a fee of £16.2m. During his time at the Premier League side, he played 19 times in all competitions, but failed to score or assist for them. He currently earns a reported £20k per week.
Swan feels that the Celtic fanbase is divided when it comes to Elyounoussi and is unsure whether making his move permanent would make financial sense.
Should Celtic sign Elyounoussi permanently?
Yes
No
He said: “The one I find really fascinating, I have to say, is Mohamed Elyounoussi. I think he’s a really fascinating one because there are sections of Celtic supporters who don’t think he’s done enough; there is another section of Celtic supporters [who] think he’s shown plenty in enough big games. His numbers this year in terms of goals are good, his numbers last year were good for goals in his first loan spell.
“The position he played [against Rangers], again, it’s judging a dead rubber, you have to be careful – but when you look at the goals he scored in Lille for example, a hat-trick he scored at Motherwell. What we think Southampton may be looking for, for Elyounoussi with a couple of years left in his contract, maybe £10m? Is he worth that type of outlay? I’m not sure whether Celtic will see that. I’m not sure whether Elyounoussi will want to stay, whether Southampton want to keep him, but he fascinates me.”
TIF Thoughts on Elyounoussi…
During his time at Celtic so far, Elyounoussi has made 60 appearances in all competitions for the Bhoys. He has found the back of the net 21 times, picking up a total of 12 assists, which is rather respectable.
He has performed in some important games for the Hoops though, such as scoring in the Old Firm derby recently. He also scored against Milan in the Champions League, grabbing a brace against Lille too. He also got a hat-trick against Motherwell in November (as per Transfermarkt).
Because of that, Elyounoussi could be a fine permanent addition to the Celtic side – though it seems Swan and/or Celtic believe he is not worth barely half of what Southampton paid for him nearly three years ago despite his form in green and white.