Celts Up for the Cup: “It’s been a long time since Celtic didn’t win a trophy and that’s not something we want to be remembered for,” Elyounoussi

If Celtic were to sign one of the loan stars on a permanent deal which one would you opt for? Personally I’d like us to sign Moi Elyounoussi if the price is right as he has the ability to become a really decent Celtic player if utilised properly.

The changing formations has helped the Norwegian who until recently was our top scorer this season and he’s not been able to get into the starting eleven as often as he’d like in recent months so he’d be wanting some assurances himself before he’d commit to a permanent move to Celtic.

Much will depend on who the manager is going to be but if it is going to be John Kennedy – or if Kennedy is going to be the retained as an Assistant Manager – then Moi Elyounoussi will be looking to make as big an impression as possible in the closing weeks of the season.

Celtic now know that the Scottish Cup is back in play and there to be retained for a fifth successive season in May. And there is the matter of ensuring that theRangers are beaten next week at Celtic Park (so they don’t get to celebrate as Covid Champions at Paradise), then beaten again at Ibrox and maybe even beaten again at Hampden if the draw keeps us apart.

Moi spoke to the Mainstream Media Conference yesterday while the Celtic Fan Media Conference had the pleasure of David Turnbull’s company. Here’s what Moi had to say about the way the players want to finish the season.

“We are aiming to win every game we go into,” Elyounoussi said. “We have had a good week of training and preparation and the atmosphere in the squad is good. We will try to win all the games we have coming up, and also in the (Scottish) cup,” he added.

Asked about the possibility of theRangers winning their Covid title at Celtic Park next week, Moi relied: “Of course we don’t want that to happen, but our main focus is on ourselves and what we can produce in that game. Whatever happens in other games is not in our control.

“We can only control the games we play and do our best to win them. Nobody is thinking about what happens if we drop points. We will go into that game with a lot of confidence and belief and look to win it.”

And the news this week that the Scottish Cup will resume with the final back to its usual slot in May (22nd) has given the Celtic players boost.

“The Scottish Cup is something we are looking forward to,” Moi said. “We are still trying to win every game to see where we go, but obviously the league is really tough. There is a trophy on the line now as well and we are the holders. It would be nice to keep it again.

“It’s been a long time since Celtic didn’t win a trophy and that’s not something we want to be remembered for being part of.

“That’s not in our mind though. We work hard in training and go in to every game with the aim to win. It will be the same in the Scottish Cup.”

Talking of Covid, Elyounoussi isn’t worried about contracting the virus on international duty later this month. Norway have World Cup qualifiers against Gibraltar, Turkey and Montenegro to play and Celtic have suffered considerably this season from players dropping out due to Covid issues including Edouard (France) Christie (Scotland) and Bitton and the now transferred Elhamed (Israel).

“It’s difficult with the pandemic and you have to look at the whole picture,” he said. “There were some issues last year and I know one of the games (against Turkey) has been moved from Norway to Spain. My focus is on Celtic for the next few games and then we’ll see what happens.

“I wouldn’t be worried about going away as we travel under really strict protocols. We wear masks, we are distanced and we live like we do here. We are very careful around each other and we follow all the same protocols that we do at Celtic. I am not concerned about it. I feel safe every time I travel with the national team.

“We had a couple of issues last time, but it was other players who got it. There was concern that we would have to quarantine as well, if we had been in close contact but it was okay. We will see how things go and take it from there.”

On his own future at Celtic beyond this season Elyounoussi was giving nothing away. “I haven’t really thought about my future yet. I just want to finish the season as strong as possible. My main focus is to work hard in every training session and game. There will be enough time to think about my future.”

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

1 Comment

  1. I have good advice dont read scottish papers theynwill have you thinking your playing awful football with a bad team so go out let people see you are tge best team in scotland by lifting cup,