Ange Postecoglou's Celtic to-do list gets bigger thanks to Mohamed Elyounoussi update

By David Walton

July 1, 2021

The Celtic to-do list for Ange Postecoglou just keeps growing and growing, and yesterday’s update from Mohamed Elyounoussi didn’t help things either.

The Norwegian effectively confirmed on Instagram that his time with the Hoops has come to an end. He sent an emotional message to the Celtic support that more or less shows he’ll be staying with Southampton this summer.

It’s news that will likely have Celtic fans thinking one of two ways. Some will believe that we’ve missed out on seeing what a top EPL talent could do under the right manager. Others will feel that this is just a goodbye from a player who didn’t realise his full potential and underperformed for too long.

But whatever side of the fence you fall on, Postecoglou’s problem remains the same. Celtic now need to source a new left-winger at some point this summer.

There would’ve been hope that Elyounoussi would again become available at some stage. That he hasn’t has only heightened the need for the scouting department to source some fresh talent to compete with Mikey Johnston.

No Celtic return for Mohamed Elyounoussi; time for Hoops to source fresh talent

This isn’t an essential transfer to complete before the July 15th Champions League registration date. But it’s going to need done at some point. Celtic simply don’t have the depth at left-mid to adequately replace Moi from within.

In fact, the only left-winger currently at the club is Johnston. He now has absolutely nobody pushing him for his place, and let’s not forget he’s not long back from a nasty ACL tear.

We saw last season how crucial it was to have back-up in the left-wing position. Playing the likes of Ryan Christie there is an absolute non-starter. Celtic need some pace down their flanks this season to play the way Postecoglou likes. Outside of Mikey, we don’t have anyone available to fill that role.

Mikey Johnston is Celtic’s only available left-winger / (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Some may point to Marian Shved or Karamoko Dembele to potentially fill that gap. But both of those players are more suited to playing on the right side and should be competing as back-up to James Forrest. Left-wing isn’t a position we should be shoehorning players into.

In terms of Scottish football, there are no real options domestically for Celtic to recruit either. The lack of stand-out left-wingers in the Premiership means that the Hoops will need to look elsewhere.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Postecoglou plunders the J-League given some of the flair players available in Japan. But wherever he goes, it’s a task that needs completed before the window shuts.

In other news, a reported Celtic target has been labelled an Eredivisie club’s best defender last season.