Celtic’s chances of signing Mohamed Elyounoussi from Southampton a permanent basis seem to have been boosted by a report in the Daily Record which claims that the Hoops will need to spend £9 million to land the player.
That is a sum of money that the Hoops can arguably afford, they spent that on Odsonne Eoduard. However, it should not be finances that dictate if Elyounoussi joins the Hoops permanently. It should be fitness.
Made only one appearance in last few weeks
Elyounoussi has been out of action for almost two months with a foot injury – he had made one appearance in that time, an anonymous 45 minutes in the Betfred Cup Final.
Now, before the foot injury, Elyounoussi was one of Celtic’s best performers. For evidence of that, look at his display in the 2-0 Europa League win over Cluj. He ran the game, and was key to a pivotal Celtic win in the group stages.
He would have been a factor in the recent defeat to Rangers had he been fully fit. However, he wasn’t and that must be in Neil Lennon’s mind when it comes to signing the player.
Should be signed if he regains form and fitness
If Elyounoussi is fit after the winter break, and can contribute as much as he did before suffering his injury, then the Hoops should do all they can to make the deal a permanent one.
However, if the injury takes time to heal up, and Elyounoussi isn’t able to contribute much to the title race, then perhaps it is not worth pursuing a permanent deal at that price.
The next five months will determine a lot about Celtic. The most important being will the Hoops become nine in a row champions. However, it looks like it will also determine if Mohamed Elyounoussi become a Celtic player permanently. Only time will tell if the player will be at Celtic Park next season.
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