During the week, a lot of media websites ran with the story Celtic had contacted Southampton about a price for their midfielder Mohamed Elyounoussi and that the fee was £10m.
At the time, most media sites copied the story verbatim from Football Insider who have become notorious for flimsy ‘exclusives’
We covered the story for our readers but we questioned the validity of the article, not because we had inside knowledge but because we’ve been around the block enough to know it all didn’t add up.
Here’s a snippet of our article from last week:
‘Right now, in the thick of the season, it’s very unlikely Celtic have reached out to talk about a player who hasn’t even played a full half-season yet. Yes, Mohamed has hit the ground running but not so much that Celtic would look to blow any negotiating position they may want to have in the future by looking desperate to land the midfielder.’
You can read the full article here.
We were absolutely correct to rubbish the claims and Neil Lennon was the man to put an end to the rumour.
Talking about a potential fee for Mohamed, Neil Lennon was confident about one thing.
“It’s certainly not been discussed with Peter Lawwell. Elyounoussi is just in the door but he’s done very well. We’re really delighted with the contribution he’s made. Will he make us better? He’s certainly made us better so far.” Lennon told RecordSport.
“We’ll see how the season pans out but I’ve been delighted with what he’s brought to the team. We’ll miss him for a few games, that’s for sure, when you look at his goals and his intelligence.
“Whether we can do a deal in the summer, we’ll need to wait and see. It will come down to affordability. He’s enjoying it and we’re enjoying having him. It’s worked out great for both parties so far.”
We love and publish transfer rumours on a regular basis but we always put in the caveat that it’s a rumour. Some sites start writing things like facts and before you know it, there is a ridiculous amount of media outlets reporting on it rather than asking questions.
For the record, we’d love for Mohamed Elyounoussi to stay at Celtic but as we’ve said before – let’s enjoy having him here in the present and worry about that stuff nearer the end of the season
