Why Celtic making a move for Mohamed Magdy wouldn’t make sense

According to Egyptian outlet Kingfut (h/t Scottish Sun), Celtic are very interested in securing the services of Al Ahly playmaker Mohamed Magdy Afsha, as confirmed by the player’s agent Abdelrahman Ismail. 

The representative has revealed that the reigning Scottish champions are willing to sign the 24-year-old and then loan him out to another European club to enhance his development. Al Ahly, though, are determined to keep hold of Magdy, who still has several years remaining on his contract.

Profile 

Mohamed Magdy started his professional career with ENPPI in Egypt and established himself as a regular starter at his boyhood club following a productive loan spell at fellow top-flight outfit El Raja. The attacking midfielder bagged 10 goals and 8 assists in 69 appearances for ENPPI in all competitions before switching boats to join Pyramids FC in 2018. 

The 24-year-old accumulated impressive returns of 6 goals and 7 assists in 24 appearances for Pyramids during the 2018-19 campaign. Magdy was then snapped up by domestic rivals Al Ahly last summer. He has since registered 7 goals and 10 assists in 41 outings across all competitions. A full international for Egypt since 2018, he has been capped 5 times by his nation.

Celtic already have enough depth in their midfield

Celtic added David Turnbull to their already well-stocked midfield unit in the summer window. The 21-year-old is yet to make a massive impact at Parkhead but he remains one of the hottest young midfield talents in Scotland. The Hoops will be hoping that he manages to live up to the expectations by starting to deliver on his massive potential moving forward. 

One of the key reasons behind Turnbull’s slow start to life at Celtic is stiff competition for places in the middle of the park. The Hoops already have accomplished players like Ryan Christie, Olivier Ntcham, Tom Rogic, Scott Brown, and Callum McGregor in their ranks. Brown is nearing his twilight and Ivorian starlet Ismaila Soro has been widely tipped to take over the reins from the veteran.

To put things into perspective, Celtic need not push too hard for Mohamed Magdy Afsha as that would only lead to an overcrowding of options in the creative midfield department. The Hoops can certainly do with another natural wide player to reduce the burden on James Forrest. But the Egyptian star is predominantly a central attacking midfielder by trade.

The 24-year-old has played for some of the biggest clubs in the Egyptian Premier League, which is widely regarded as one of the most competitive leagues in Africa. However, the lack of previous experience in Europe means that there are no guarantees that he would be able to get to grips with the rough and tough nature of the Scottish game. 

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Verdict

Suffice to say, Celtic don’t really need to play a gamble on Mohamed Magdy given the abundance of talent in their midfield cavalry. The 24-year-old hardly fits the bill as an instant upgrade on their creative options. On the contrary, they might as well focus on strengthening other areas of their squad when the market reopens in January.