Rodgers can forget Yang: Celtic in talks over late move for £5m sensation
da dobrowin： A truly disastrous night for Celtic, one that could have enormous ramifications.
da wazamba： On Tuesday, or the early hours of Wednesday local time, the Hoops were dumped out of the Champions League in the play-off round by Kazakh champions Kairat.
Both legs, as well as extra time, finished goalless, before the Scottish Premiership champions were ignominiously defeated on penalties; Adam Idah, Luke McCowan and Daizen Maeda all seeing attempts saved by Temirlan Anarbekov.
The board gambled on making signings after Champions League qualification was secured, but that has backfired spectacularly.
Thus, Brendan Rodgers’ team will now take their place in Friday’s Europa League draw, but desperately need new recruits if they’re even to be competitive at that level, so could a new winger soon be on his way to Parkhead?
Celtic's need for attacking reinforcements
Across more than three and a half hours against Kairat, Celtic rarely looked like scoring.
Over the two legs, the Celts mustered just six shots on target, creating only three Opta-defined big chances, clearly lacking any sort of cutting edge.
In Almaty on Tuesday, James Forrest, Maeda and Yang Hyun-Jun was the front three deployed by Rodgers, a far cry from an attack containing Kyōgo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kühn, both of whom have been sold this year.
Thus, according to a report by Sky Sports News, Celtic are ‘in talks’ with Swedish side Hammarby as they attempt to sign winger Sebastian Tounekti.
They add that the Hoops have seen an opening bid of £2.6m rejected, with the Stockholm-based side holding out for closer to £5m, noting that ‘negotiations are ongoing’.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Hammarby are currently attempting to win the Allsvenskan title for the first time in 24 years, sat second with nine games to go, but may be under pressure to sell, having been dumped out of Conference League qualifying by Nordic rivals Rosenborg earlier this month.
So, could Tounekti soon swap Stockholm for Celtic?
What Celtic supporters should expect from Sebastian Tounekti
Despite the fact he’s just 23 years old, Tounekti is quite accustomed to changing clubs.
After beginning his senior career at Tromsdalen in the Norwegian lower leagues, he’s since represented Bodø/Glimt, Groningen, Haugesund and Ranheim, before joining Hammarby earlier this year.
In 26 appearances for the Swedish side, he has scored two goals and registered five assists, starting all four of their European ties against Royal Charleroi and Rosenborg, very much a key figure, as the table below documents.
The statistics very much crystallise Tounekti’s strengths, namely chance creation and dribbling, given that, among his current teammates, he ranks first for assists, big chances created and successful dribbles per match this year, while also in the top five when it comes to goals and shots.
Tounekti Hammarby’s stats
Stat
Tounekti
Hammarby rank
Minutes
1,522
8th
Starts
19
5th
Goals
2
5th
Assists
5
1st
Big chances created
8
1st
Shots
36
3rd
Big chances missed
4
3rd
Successful dribbles per 90
2.1
1st
Average Sofascore rating
7.09
8th
via FBref.com & Sofascore
Celtic analyst DataBhoys outlines how his strengths are getting to the byline and producing cut-backs, rather than drifting inside and looking to create centrally.
Despite being born in Tromsø, Tounekti is a full Tunisian international, winning just his second cap during a friendly against Morocco in June, four years after his debut, so he’ll surely be motivated to play at the highest possible level, with an Africa Cup of Nations to come in December, followed by the World Cup next summer.
So, why would he improve Rodgers’ current attacking options?
Well, most Celtic supporters would agree that Yang is not a starting-level player, given that he has scored just nine goals in 71 appearances for Celtic, only a regular due to Jota’s injury and Kühn’s sale to Como.
In fact, it has been reported that big-spending EFL Championship side Birmingham City have made an approach in an attempt to sign Yang, with the South Korean international outlining his desire to explore a new challenge earlier this summer.
With Birmingham splashing the cash, Celtic could probably secure a pretty decent fee for Yang, who arrived for just £2m from Gangwon FC two summers ago.
Thus, most supporters would be content if that money was reinvested in signing Tounekti, who certainly has the potential to be a clear upgrade.
