Manager reveals what Bodo/Glimt thought of new Celtic man Sebastian Tounekti

Sebastian Tounekti was Celtic’s eleventh signing of the summer transfer window.

The Norwegian-born Tunisian winger arrived at Parkhead after Celtic paid over £5m to Hammarby to get Tounekti at the club.

Tounekti shared that Celtic’s interest in him was held ‘for a long time’ despite the seemingly last-minute completion of the deal on transfer deadline day.

So what made Celtic spend so much on the winger? Manager of Norway-based club Mjøndalen Kevin Nicol, who played at Tounekti’s former club Haugesund in 2008, shares what people at Bodo/Glimt thought of the new Parkhead signing.

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What Bodo/Glimt thought about new Celtic signing Sebastian Tounekti

Scots-born Nicol has been in Norway for over 20 years now and has been involved in a coaching capacity in the country since 2015.

Nicol told The Herald of Tounekti, “Sebastian had a wonderful last season-and-a -half at Haugesund and that got him his move to Hammarby.

“All of a sudden, he seemed to mature. His performances were consistently good. It’s amazing how quickly things can change in football.

“He’s always been a very talented boy. He was at Bodo/Glimt, a big club over here, as a young lad. They clearly saw that he had good qualities and hoped he would develop with them.”

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New Celtic ‘tricky winger’ Sebastian Tounekti was ‘fantastic’ in Sweden

After a difficult spell at Bodo/Glimt, Tounekti moved to Haugesund before getting his big move to Hammarby in Sweden.

And it was in the Allsvenskan where the new Celtic winger really shone.

Nicol continued, “He didn’t manage to establish himself there [Bodo/Glimt], but there is no shame in that. He has really come into his own now. He had a good year or so in Norway and has been fantastic in Sweden.

“He has always been very exciting. He can go one v one offensively and is a really tricky winger to be up against. He can go both ways, can go inside and outside.

“He’s got a good right foot when he comes inside to shoot. I can understand why Celtic have now paid quite a bit of money for him.”

With just under two weeks until Celtic fans get to see Tounekti in action for the first time, it seems that the club have managed to identify and sign a very talented winger.

In his first interview at Celtic, Tounekti gave off Jota vibes as he explained how he liked to move forward with the ball and take players on.

Let’s hope that talk transfers onto the pitch as Celtic take on four competitions this season.

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