When Wilfried Nancy took the reins at Celtic, it was inevitable that he would look to his former club for reinforcements.
Wessam Abou Ali quickly emerged as a prime January transfer target to lead the line at Parkhead, but Nancy was sacked before those links to the Palestine star could turn into anything serious.
With the new MLS season underway, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States of America, Mexico and Canada, Abou Ali has made a blistering start to Columbus Crew’s season.
This is despite the Crew themselves suffering what Nancy did during his 33-day spell at Celtic, and that’s starting the new campaign winless.
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Celtic’s January transfer target Wessam Abou Ali makes a strong start in the MLS
Celtic are currently enduring severe struggles in the attacking third. The team is desperately crying out for a ruthless focal point who can consistently put the ball in the back of the net.
Meanwhile, Abou Ali has made another solid start in America. Despite the Columbus Crew suffering a miserable winless start to their new campaign, the forward is carrying an underperforming team on his back and looking completely dominant.
The sting of missing out on the Palestine international is only amplified by the success of Nancy’s sole January recruit.
Although he is a right-back, the arrival of Julian Araujo has been a massive positive.
Araujo has looked superb since coming through the doors at Celtic Park, proving that Nancy’s eye for MLS talent is incredibly sharp.
If Abou Ali had followed Araujo to Glasgow, Celtic’s current striker woes might already be a thing of the past, but perhaps the powers that be at Parkhead should watch out for him in the summer?
Abou Ali has a pretty strong goalscoring record; his only issue is the fact that he has had too many visits to the treatment room.
- Abou Ali’s games last season: 39
- Goals: 22
- Assists: 5
- Abou Ali’s games this season: 5
- Goals: 3
- Assists: 1
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