Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi says he would be open to returning to Celtic.
The Norwegian, who has been capped 52 times by his country, spent the best part of two seasons on loan with the Hoops, and he will be available on a free transfer this summer when his contract expires at the end of the month. Asked whether he’d be keen on moving back to Scotland, Elyounoussi replied:
“We’ll see. I enjoyed my time there. I didn’t get much time to play with the fans, it was mostly without fans. I enjoyed my time there and you never know.”
It’s fair to say that fans on Twitter are very much split on whether they want Elyounoussi back at the club:
I’m certainly not saying no to Elyounoussi coming back on a free.
— Aidan ❼ (@Aidan_Sellick) June 17, 2023
Vastly overrated
— Pol MacFhionnghaile 🇮🇪🏴 (@mcginleybhoy) June 17, 2023
Quality player.
— Shaysda (@shaysda) June 17, 2023
pretty much every southampton fan agrees he was shocking, not the level we need.
— Arron 🏳️🌈 (@Arron2Smith) June 17, 2023
Hear me out
Jota Kyogo El Younoussi
— JC 🍀 🇮🇪 (@JC67CFC) June 17, 2023
Not for me. We’ve got better now
— Brian Gallagher (@BrianGa17215249) June 17, 2023
He infuriated the life out me buts there’s defo a player there
— Ronnie Munro (@rondonaldo) June 17, 2023
No. Decent player but not any better than we have. Need to aim higher than this.
— Highland Paddy (@patcoyle56) June 17, 2023
I’d take Moi back in a minute
— martin mccluskey (@cluskey75) June 18, 2023
Elyounoussi could be a bargain
After an injury-ravaged first season at Celtic Park, the Norwegian international really came into his own during his second campaign with the Scottish club, scoring 17 times in 45 appearances.
If Elyounoussi can return to those levels, you would have to say that signing him on a free would be a no-brainer, as long as one or two players leave the Hoops.
Do Celtic really need another winger?
The Scottish champions are not exactly short of options in wide areas. Liel Abada, Jota, Daizen Maeda, James Forrest and Sasa Haksabanovic are all part of the first-team squad.
However, Forrest isn’t getting any younger, while Abada is unlikely to sign a new contract so there are reasons why a new winger could be brought in. It remains to be seen, though, whether Elyounoussi will be back in a Celtic shirt next season.
