Why Celtic must revive their interest in Alberth Elis

According to Daily Record, former Celtic target Alberth Elis is desperate for a move to Europe as he gears up to leave Houston Dynamo.

The report claims that Celtic had approached the Honduras winger with a £3million bid last season, only to be turned down by the MLS outfit. Meanwhile, Elis, who moved to Dynamo from Monterrey in January 2018, is nearing the end of his contract.

Elis whose current contract at Dynamo is set to expire this December, however, has admitted his displeasure of not being able to talk to Celtic and is craving for a switch to Europe.

The 24-year-old was recently offered a new deal by the Texan club but Elis has confirmed that he wants to depart, with sides such as Stoke City and Fenerbahçe waiting in line to grab his signature.

Elis was undoubtedly one of Dynamo’s top players last season, scoring and assisting 9 times each from 26 league games. The right-winger’s 9 assists made him his side’s top assist provider in the league, giving a fair idea of his talent.

To date he has made 95 appearances for the MLS side and has 31 goals and 25 assists to his credit, making him a key player in the current line-up.

In Elis, Celtic will have an established winger in their ranks

The Hoops had a sensational campaign this season as they won their 9th Scottish Premiership in a row, finishing above rivals Rangers.

Neil Lennon’s side looked well-drilled across all departments as they continued their dominance in Scottish top-flight. However, Lennon’s side lack an established winger in their ranks and this could hurt them next season.

They currently have three wingers – Mikey Johnston, Daniel Arzani, and Maryan Shved. However, all of them are young and lack enough game experience. Academy graduate Johnston seemed to be in good form, making 11 league appearances, scoring twice and assisting four times before being sidelined for the rest of the season due to ligament injury.

Arzani, on the other hand, is expected to return to his parent club Manchester City at the end of this month and had missed the entire season after sustaining a cruciate ligament rupture last October.

Shved, meanwhile, featured just once in the league this season, making it clear that he is not Lennon’s plans at the moment. Considering all this, it would be safe for Celtic to once again revive their interest in former target Elis.

Predominantly a right-winger, Elis is also comfortable playing as a centre-forward and his versatility will be a valuable asset for Celtic if they sign him.

Read more:

• Why Scott McKenna would be a safe signing by Celtic
• Why Gyrano Kerk to Celtic would make them powerful in attack
• Celtic eye a move for £1.4m-rated Serie A ace Pawel Dawidowicz – Would he be a good addition to Lennon’s side?

Verdict

It is clear that Celtic lack depth on the flanks and Elis’ arrival will only help. His versatility will offer manager Lennon more options in the attack next season. Also, with the player expressing an interest to play in Europe, Celtic should bring their former target to Parkhead as soon as possible.