Sebastian Tounekti was Celtic's only signing on the recent summer transfer window's deadline day. Admittedly, he did not get the welcome that he deserved, as the majority of the support was unhappy with how things had been handled and had already learned that the pursuit to sign Kasper Dolberg from Anderlecht had collapsed.
But now that the fans have seen Tounekti in action, they have been impressed. He was superb against Kilmarnock on his debut in tough conditions and scored his first goal for Celtic in the very next game, against Partick Thistle in the Scottish League Cup, turning out another fantastic display.
Tounekti is already a fan favourite at Celtic. And he is predicting one of his fellow summer signings to be a top player for the club as well, once he regains his confidence.
That player is none other than Kelechi Iheanacho, whose arrival was not one that Celtic fans had wanted but a move that the club needed to make after failing to secure the signature of a striker on deadline day. As a free agent, he is only realistic signing they could have made.
Sebastian Tounekti tips controversial signing to be top player for Celtic
Tounekti was full of praise for Iheanacho as the two seemed to combine well against Partick Thistle and have already struck up a connection. As reported by CeltsAreHere, the Tunisian winger said of his teammate:
"Yes, 100%. We all know what Kelechi can bring. He has played at the top level for many years. When he starts to get his confidence back, he will be a top player for Celtic. I’m really looking forward to see him more and to see him growing with the team. I think it’s a good day for Celtic this season."
In recent years, we have seen veteran players arrive at Celtic as free agents and succeed. Two names that come to mind immediately are Aaron Mooy and Kasper Schmeichel. Can Iheanacho add his name to that list?
It is pretty clear that he is nowhere near full fitness at this point in time. But that being said, he has shown flashes of his quality despite that.
Iheanacho stepped up to take a pressure penalty against Kilmarnock and converted from the spot, sealing a win for Celtic. He followed that up with a decent enough display against Partick Thistle. He has the ability to get his teammates involved and play with his back to the goal, something that the Hoops were missing so far.