Celtic given Ismaila Soro warning

Alex McLeish has warned Celtic that they could regret selling young midfielder Ismaila Soro.

The Daily Mail reported last week that Tottenham were monitoring the 22-year-old, having identified him as a ‘holding player of talent who could bolster their squad’.

Soro only joined Celtic from Israeli side Bnei Yehuda in January 2020, penning a four-and-a-half-year deal.

What role has Soro played for Celtic this season?

He had to wait until 13 December for his first league start of this season, but it kick-started a run of 10 successive starts. That streak ended at the beginning of February, and he has only been selected for one Premiership game by John Kennedy.

The £11,000-per-week Ivorian’s involvement in Celtic’s brief European campaign was also limited to 109 minutes.

The midfielder has averaged 2.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.8 accurate long balls per game when he has featured (via WhoScored).

‘I’m certain Soro understands what it means to play for Celtic’

Former Scotland manager McLeish understands the argument that selling Soro could raise funds, but suggested that he could be a success if he was truly backed.

Asked whether Celtic would be hurt by his potential exit, the 62-year-old told Football Insider: “There’s no doubt about that.

“I’m certain, the foreign players understand what it means to play for Rangers and Celtic in the same way as Scottish players do.

“The money could go into helping the rebuild this summer, that’s got to be taken into consideration.”

It should be noted that, according to the Daily Mail, ‘there would be obstacles’ around Soro earning the work permit required to represent Tottenham Hotspur. An appeal would be necessary if Spurs were to escalate their interest.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Celtic are in need of a rebuild, but the lion’s share of the funds should come from the prospective sales of Odsonne Edouard and Kristtofer Ajer.

If the price-tags floated by the Daily Mail are to be believed, those deals could generate £23m to reinvest (£15m for the French striker and £8m for the Norway defender).

The new manager should be given the chance to assess Soro rather than him being flogged elsewhere without getting a fair opportunity to prove his worth.

In other news, read about this development in the transfer race for Edouard.