Former Celtic coach Alan Thompson has said that Mo Elyounoussi needs to start contributing with more goals in order to earn a permanent summer transfer.
Thompson says that Elyounoussi’s form is dipping and thinks that it may be because of transfer speculation getting in his head with his future still up in the air.
Speaking to Read Celtic, Thompson said:
It’s always difficult with loan players. They can read the papers all the time, or be on the internet or whatever, and they’ll see Celtic linked with this player or that player. So when [Elyounoussi’s] form is dipping, he might see [Celtic] linked with other players, with different names getting mentioned, but he’s just got to be strong.
He’s just got to get back on the goal trail and then see where that leads him in the summer, whether that’s back to Southampton or if that’s to Celtic Park.
Read Southampton verdict
Thompson’s comments are worrying in regards to Southampton’s hopes of selling Elyounoussi permanently in the summer. If the winger is unable to have a strong end to the season, whenever it is completed, then it could be difficult for Southampton to get the best deal for him.
Southampton could need him to start putting in some top performances in order to convince Celtic to splash out and sign him permanently.
This would take another player off Southampton’s wage bill, in a position where the club is already well-stocked. Nathan Redmond, Stuart Armstrong, Moussa Djenepo and Sofiane Boufal are all ahead of him in the wide areas. This shows that Southampton have strength-in-depth in his position and that selling him could allow them to invest in other areas of the squad.
This could leave Southampton in a difficult situation should Celtic not sign Elyounousi permanently. They could be left with the Norweigan on the outskirts of the squad with no real role in the first-team, yet still collecting his wage each month.
