GREEN FOR MO
Elyounoussi thrilled to secure Celtic loan return But champions suffer blow in Forster pursuit
MOHAMED Elyounoussi last night expressed his delight after signing a new one-year loan deal with Celtic.
However, the Scottish champions have suffered a setback in their quest to land goalkeeper Fraser Forster from Southampton after boss Ralph Hasenhuttl told the England international he wants him to fight for his place during talks yesterday. Celtic were keen make it a Saints double after securing winger Elyounoussi for another 12 months.
The Norwegian international spent last season at Parkhead, scoring seven goals in 20
appearances. And, despite rival interest from Real Betis, the 25-year-old opted to return to Glasgow rather than move to Spain after fans begged him to return.
‘I’m very happy,’ he told Celtic TV. ‘It’s a proud moment for myself and my family. We’re very happy in Glasgow.
‘I enjoyed my first year here. I enjoy working with the coaching staff and the players, everyone at the club, so it was an easy choice really.
‘Since the league stopped, I got a lot of positive messages from fans. They told me what they thought about me and for me to take another year. I have to say, that made the choice even easier. ‘It’s hard to say no when you get so many messages and feedback — love from the fans, and obviously I will try to give something back. The fans, of course, are one of the reasons why I’m staying here another year.’ Elyounoussi made a significant impact for Neil Lennon’s side before his season was curtailed by injury. Robbed of the chance to celebrate a title triumph because of the coronavirus lockdown, he now wants to go the distance in the quest to secure ten in a row. ‘It is an interesting season ahead, and I think I can do more than what I did last season.
‘Obviously the injury stopped everything for me, so I will try to give even more from myself this year.
‘The physical coaches have been doing exceptional work to give us work at home, and we’ve been training well, and now we’re back training. It’s been good and we’re looking forward for the season to start.
‘It’s maybe one of the biggest seasons in the history of Celtic, so no pressure!
‘But we’re looking forward to it. We’ve been working really hard and I’m sure all the other teams in the league have been working hard to try to stop us.
‘But we’re going to give everything.
‘I hope that we can play the games (in front of) our fans as soon as possible, because with their help, hopefully we can achieve something great.’
Hopes of luring Forster back to Glasgow have taken a dent, with Southampton keen to pit the 32-year-old against Alex McCarthy and Angus Gunn for the chance to be Saints No1.
The former England keeper is Celtic’s first choice to return either on loan or via a permanent deal if the price is right.
And while Southampton could still be willing to let Forster leave on loan later in the window, Celtic must decide if they can afford to wait that long — or move on to other targets before three friendly games in France in the middle of this month.
Scotland No1 and former Celtic star David Marshall features on a shortlist of alternative options, but would command a fee as he has 12 months left on his Wigan contract.
Celtic have also looked into a deal for former England keeper Joe Hart.
Meanwhile, Celtic last night announced a new deal with JD that will see the sports fashion retailer become the club’s official retail partner.