Exclusive:Celtic have signed a 'showman' as new arrival handed Ronaldinho comparison and rapid rise explained

The 23-year-old signed for a reported fee of £5.2million on Monday night, with the winger putting pen to paper on a five-year contract at Parkhead. He will link up with Brendan Rodgers’ side when he returns from international duty with Tunisia next week.

While the Scottish champions struggled to add a much-needed frontman to the squad and were forced into the free agent market in order to sign Kelechi Iheanacho late on Tuesday night, their summer-long pursuit of Tounekti finally paid dividends. After finally landing Tounekti, someone who has watched him regularly in recent years, journalist Anders Lindberg from Fotboll Sthlm, believes he will be well worth the wait for Celtic supporters.

“He has a little bit of the X Factor,” he told The Scotsman. “It is something that every team needs. It’s a logical move, because Hammarby and Celtic are two clubs that like to dominate [the ball], and that needs a winger that can break down the defence. He can bring a lot of quality to the team.

“I knew who he was when he was with Haugesund in Norway, and he was a player that made an impact with them, where he played last year, but they were near the bottom of the table and just avoided relegation. So he is the type of player who can make an impact for a ‘bottom’ team, but if he goes into an improved environment like Hammarby, he will develop and be even better.

“It made a lot of sense when Hammarby signed him, and he has been great from the start. He’s been good in more or less every game, and he has developed from the moment he arrived in Stockholm, and that has now taken him to Glasgow. He got points for the team by himself, at times.

“He will bring an attacking force in almost every aspect. He is best as a left-winger, and Hammarby plays a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, which Celtic also do. He doesn’t need an education on that, or a journey to get fit. We are mid-season in Sweden at the moment, he has played around 20-25 games during this year. He is fit to go right in. He will dribble; he is top for progressive runs in Sweden as well. He is a ball carrier; he can go into a central part of the pitch and take on shots himself, though he will often go down the sides. He is involved in a lot of chances.

“Some people think he can improve by adding more assists, but Hammarby has had some problems with their central attacker. But he’s doing well on his side; the other player just doesn’t convert all the chances he is creating. He has been involved in a lot; he doesn’t always get the assist, but he is the one who has broken down the defence and created the chance. If you just look at goals and assists, but he offers a little bit more when you watch the games. Celtic can expect a player who will go in right away and make an impact.”

Linders also discussed his thoughts on the fee Celtic paid to Hammarby for the Tunisian, with the £5.2million transfer the biggest the Stockholm-based club have received since Williot Swedberg’s €16.8 million move to Celta Vigo in 2022.

“He has a great mentality, both on and off the pitch. In my first interview with him in Sweden, he spoke a lot about being a showman - and I think Celtic will enjoy him. He was pushing for the move; he really wanted it. Speaking to people, no one has anything bad to say about him, though.

“His showmanship, he said modern-day football feels very by the book, and all about tactics and strategy, but he wants to think outside the box. We discussed Ronaldinho and those types of players. That may be a big name to use, but he is that type of player. He wants the kids to enjoy watching him play, and the supporters. But it is not just dribbling into nothing.

“When I saw him in the Norwegian league last year, he was one of my favourite players, and I felt like he would be a realistic option for a top Swedish club to buy. Hammarby didn’t think they could sign him, but they asked the question and took the opportunity to sign him. I said at the time that if he had one or two good seasons, he could be sold for this kind of money. But it has happened faster than I thought. If he could improve more, Celtic could maybe sell him for much more in two years. It is good business for both clubs.”

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