Celtic Transfer Options - Left Wing

For a number of years, the left wing has been a position Celtic have failed to find a reliable, long term, first team option in. Mohamed Elyounoussi plugged the gap for two years with a loan spell and without doubt turned out to be an adequate member of the side however, the Hoops were unable to secure the Norwegian on a permanent deal. Ryan Christie has taken the berth on the left hand side so far this season as has James Forrest although neither are natural left wingers and Christie doesn’t have long left on his current contract. With Mikey Johnston being injury prone and unable to nail down a starting place as well as hesitancies over where Kyogo Furuhashi will play, Celtic should look to the transfer market. 

Yonatan Cohen - The Israeli market is one Celtic haven’t been afraid to dip into in the past decade. Even this summer, Liel Abada has came in and has made a promising start to life in Glasgow. Yonatan Cohen could be next in the line of talents such as Beram Kayal, Hatem Elhamed and Nir Bitton that have excelled in Scotland. Cohen plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the top tier of Israeli football, a side who fell short of the title last season by just 4 points. The forward still has his greatest years ahead of him however at the age of 25, Cohen has

Europa League and International experience, making 7 appearances for his country so far throughout his career. The Israeli has made 219 appearances since his debut in 2015 for club and country scoring a total of 64 goals and registering 33 assists. Left footed, the Israeli is a traditional winger who likes to whip crosses into the box for the strikers to latch on to however when playing on the right, Cohen can play like a modern, inverted winger. He is also capable of playing as a striker. Standing at 6”1, Cohen could also provide a physical presence down the flanks which Celtic maybe lack at times, especially down the left with Greg Taylor. In the 20/21 season alone, Cohen scored 14 goals and bagged 5 assists across all competitions. He made 34 appearances and these stats work out at a goal contribution every 148 minutes. There had been reported interest from Celtic in Cohen back in January although that never really came to fruition. If he did join Celtic though, the 25 year old would linking up with a former teammate in Ismaila Soro with whom he spent 6 months with at Bnei Yehuda. 

Selim Amallah - Selim Amallah plies his trade with Standard Liege in Belgium. The Moroccan has 4 caps for his country, scoring 1 goal. Although traditionally an attacking midfielder, Amallah has also played on the left wing and in the centre of midfield. That is why I feel he could be a perfect fit for Celtic and Ange Postecoglou’s system where there is plenty of onus on the wingers to cut inside and create. His versatility means he could also be deployed as an attacking midfielder in place of David Turnbull which could add more quality and depth to the side which is drastically required at the moment. Amallah likes to cut inside and run at defenders however long range shots are one of his key strengths. The Moroccan is also adept defensively, averaging 1.7 successful tackles and 1.3 interceptions per match in the past three seasons. His defensive contribution could be key in the counter press. Amallah has played in the Belgian First Division A for the past three years, making 75 appearances. He’s scored 22 goals and set up 12 in those 75 games. We spoke about Amallah’s dribbling and how he would be a creative player for the Hoops; he’s averaged 1.7 successful dribbles per match as well as 1.4 key passes each game in the last three Belgian First Division A seasons. His side, Standard Liege, finished 6 points behind Jack Hendry’s Oostende in the Conference League Play Off group in Belgium in 20/21. The 24 year old also has European experience having made 8 appearances in the Europa League in the 19/20 and 20/21 campaigns. Amallah is the wide playmaker Celtic could be missing. He still has two years left on his current deal with Standard Liege so prizing Amallah away from Belgium could come at a sizeable fee. 

Tosin Kehinde - Players such as Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Noni Madueke have taken the initiative, at a young age, to move abroad in order to find first team football. Even some Celtic academy players such as Liam Morrison and Barry Hepburn have done so in recent years. Tosin Kehinde left Manchester United’s academy as a 20 year old after spending five years there. Kehinde joined Portuguese side Feirense in 2018 and was loaned out to Randers in Denmark after spending a year in Portugal. After impressing in Scandinavia and helping his side to a mid table finish in the regular season before the play offs, the Nigerian joined Randers permanently for around €270,000 (Transfermarkt). Kehinde only has 49 senior appearances to his name and at the age of 23, this certainly isn’t many. In his 49 games, Kehinde has scored 3 goals and got 6 assists. In my eyes, Kehinde wouldn’t be regular starter for the Hoops; he’d be more of a rotation option while the likes of Ryan Christie or Kyogo Furuhashi start down the left. I feel he could add great squad depth to the wings which Mikey Johnston is currently unable to due to his injury problems. Kehinde excels in tight spaces and likes to use his trickery to get by players and his sublime vision to create chances for his teammates; he’s averaged 1.2 chances created per match as well as 1.1 key passes each game in his 49 Danish Suprerligaen appearances. Kehinde was second in the Danish Superligaen in 20/21 for dribbles per match with 2.3. He also won the joint second most penalties in the league with 2. Kehinde is capable of playing on the right hand side as well which would also be a major bonus. In addition, the 23 year old has made a startling start to the 21/22 campaign, scoring 1 goal and assisting 1 in three games as Randers have stormed to the top of the league. The Danish side are also guaranteed European football no matter what. They could even meet St. Johnstone in the Europa League play off should the Perth side get past Galatasaray. It will be intriguing to see Kehinde line up in Europe and see if he can set whatever competition he’s in alight. I suspect a fee wouldn’t be an issue in terms of signing Kehinde although English Championship side Barnsley reportedly had a £500,000 bid rejected. I must reiterate though, Kehinde wouldn’t be an immediate starter however he could still definitely contribute in a team with a more attacking style of play than his current. 

Robin Hack - Mohamed Elyounoussi was one of Celtic’s key players in the 20/21 campaign, getting a total of 21 goal contributions in 41 appearances across all competitions. In terms of play style, Robin Hack is the most similar player to the Norwegian on this list. As well as the left wing, the 22 year old can also operate anywhere across the frontline, including in behind the striker. Hack has been playing with with Nuremberg in the German 2. Bundesliga for the past two years after joining them from Hoffenheim for a minimal £450,000 (Transfermarkt). The German has scored 14 goals and registered 6 assists in 57 appearances for his side across all competitions. Hack has averaged 1 key pass per match as well as creating an average of 1.1 chances each game in his 57 Nuremberg appearances. He is also an efficient ball carrier, making 1.7 successful dribbles per match in his time in at the Max Morlock stadium. One of Hack’s strengths is his shooting. He is a clinical finisher and more of a goal scoring winger than creator. He likes to cut inside on his right foot however he can also cut back to set up chances for onrushing teammates. Hack has also proved he’s efficient in pressing. In the 2. Bundesliga 19/20 season, he won possession in the final third the most times out of any player in the league with 34. At 22, Hack is still has plenty of time to develop however he is not short of potential suitors. Borussia Monchengladbach are said to be interested as well as fellow Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld. Bild say Nuremberg are holding out for €2.5 million (£2.1 million) which Gladbach are trying to lower. This is well within Celtic’s price range and makes Hack one of the cheapest options in this article. 

Facundo Torres - It is fair to say Facundo Torres has burst on to the scene. The 21 year old only made his senior debut in 2020 however his fine fettle has seen him get a call up to the Uruguay national team where he has made 7 caps, getting 1 assist. Torres only has 57 senior club appearances to his name although he has a stellar record, scoring 11 goals and getting 8 assists in those 57 games. His style of play is comparable to that of Ryan Christie’s when the Scottish international plays down the left hand side. Torres can draw fouls with his quick turn of pace and convoluted dribbling. He also likes to shoot with his left from range, scoring several goals like this. The Uruguayan stands at 5”9 and can also play down the right hand side. Torres has a market value of £4.5 million (Transfermarkt) which is well within Celtic’s price range. However, when looking at a left winger, Celtic may look for a more senior and experienced player, rather than someone who has only spent one year on senior football.