Ismaila Soro was once again nowhere to be seen on Saturday when Celtic overcame Alloa, and that’s exactly why it should now be an immediate priority for him to leave Parkhead this month.
Soro hasn’t been utilised in the league under Ange Postecoglou since September’s 1-1 draw with Dundee United. Outside of a runout against Real Betis and some League Cup cameos, the Celtic boss has done his best to avoid throwing Soro in the mix.
The Ivorian’s standards have dropped substantially this season, with his performances having regressed so much that he’s now clearly at the bottom of the pecking order.
The win over Alloa was supposed to be a chance to give the fringe players a runout. The likes of Giorgos Giakoumakis, Liam Scales, and Stephen Welsh all got minutes. The likes of Nir Bitton and Mikey Johnston were brought on from the bench. Where was Soro? Nowhere to be found in the squad.
Indeed, in a match almost designed to give the fringe men a chance, Postecoglou didn’t want Soro in his squad. Instead, James McCarthy operated for 45 minutes whilst new signing Yosuke Ideguchi lept ahead of the Ivorian midfielder in the foodchain.
It’s an incredible decline for Ismaila, who was said to be interesting Tottenham Hotspur as recently as April 2021 [Daily Mail]. Even the thought of a transfer link of that magnitutde today would be an outrageous suggestion.
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It was damaging enough missing out on league squads. That’s when you know you aren’t a part of the manager’s plans. But. when you’re not even being considered for a role in a match where other fringe men are playing 90 minutes, it must be hugely draining for the player. Sadly, it tells its own story.
Soro has only started 6 matches under Ange. But he hasn’t nailed down a spot ever since Postecoglou managed to bolster his ranks. All of a sudden, the former Bnei Yehuda star has as many as 6 players ahead of him for a spot. Callum McGregor, David Turnbull, Matt O’Riley, Ideguchi, McCarthy, and Nir Bitton are all clearly more favoured by Ange.
Whilst there are question marks whether McCarthy should be on that list, it’s a damning list. And a list that there’s no coming back from. Ange has clearly made his up his mind on Ismaila and that needs to be accepted and respected.
Soro was said to be attracting interest from the USA and Israel earlier this month [Scottish Sun]. It was stated by the Sun that the Hoops would be open to a permanent or loan departure for the player. Hardly what the player would want to hear from his club.
As of yet, there appears to have been no real progression on that. Disappointing considering his successful breakthrough campaign last year. But even if he returned to that level of form, this Celtic team has evolved substantially from the one that Soro impressed in.
We need to trim some of the deadwood as quickly as possible, whilst Soro can’t sit around at 23 and allow his career to stagnate. Hopefully, a deal can be done in the coming days. It would be best for all parties.
In other news, Watch: Superb free-kick, clinical hattrick; all the goals from Celtic B 6-0 Edinburgh University