Celtic are brewing a homegrown Jota & he can end Tounekti’s Parkhead career

With Yang Hyun-jun sidelined this weekend, Wednesday night offered an opening for Celtic‘s Sebastian Tounekti to make that left-wing berth his own ahead of the looming Glasgow derby.

The Tunisian had so much of the ball in Perth, yet once more he walked away empty-handed, with even a new season not sparking a change in fortunes for the struggling winger.

Even his dinked cross in the build-up to Haissem Hassan’s disallowed strike looked a little overcooked, with the 24-year-old boasting the ability to beat his man on the outside, yet found wanting in terms of end product.

REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

Now over 12 months into his time at Parkhead, the question remains as to whether it will ever happen for Tounekti in a Celtic shirt, not least with a perfect replacement ready and waiting.

Why Celtic have already seen enough from Sebastian Tounekti

There are reasons to suggest that Hoops supporters shouldn’t be so quick to judge Tounekti, with it having taken six months or so for Nicolas Kuhn to truly explode, while it’s taken the arrival of Martin O’Neill for Yang to really find his groove.

And yet, what the former Hammarby man has produced to date just isn’t up to scratch, failing to register a single goal involvement in the Premiership so far this season.

In his defence, the trip to St Johnstone was his first start in the competition in 2026/27, although his woes stretch back to last season, having not exactly made a strong first impression after arriving in Glasgow.

Across 27 league games, 18 of which came from the start, Tounekti scored just twice and registered only two assists, a desperately poor return for a winger in the league’s most dominant outfit.

For context too, centre-back stalwart Liam Scales has now recorded as many goal contributions (four) in the top-flight since the start of 2025/26, the Irishman actually bettering his teammate in terms of assists after notching three last season.

That says it all, in truth, and while Tounekti might not have sunk to the depths of Michel-Ange Balikwisha, he looks to be heading for a similar fate heading into 2027.

The return of Jota should only enhance the competition for places, while the academy ranks might offer a more long-term solution too on that left flank.

Celtic’s homegrown Jota is the perfect Tounekti replacement

That latest outing on Wednesday will again have those of a Celtic persuasion counting down the days until Jota can return, the Portuguese last seen in action way back in May 2025.

It sadly hasn’t been a happy homecoming for the 27-year-old, following his £8m return, with patience required even when he does return to the fold, considering this lengthy layoff.

Equally, too, his woes back in France and Saudi Arabia ensure that it’s still not certain he’ll recapture the form he showcased during his first spell at Parkhead, even if there were flashes of his best at the start of 2025.

Either way, rather than pinning all their hopes on the former Ange Postecoglou favourite, why not look to other solutions instead in 2027?

Indeed, hopes remain high for pre-season star, Thomas Hatton, the 20-year-old having been sent on loan to Ayr United to gain valuable senior experience.

There may even be a debate as to whether Celtic even needed to sanction that temporary exit, with Hatton showing enough in pre-season to warrant a closer look in 2026/27 already.

Against AC Milan, in particular, the young Scot sparkled during his late cameo at Celtic Park, looking so direct and fearless even against elite opposition.

From just 14 minutes played, he may have only recorded 14 touches, yet the academy starlet successfully completed all three of his attempted dribbles, while recording two progressive carries from the flanks.

For context, in his 65-minute outing against the Serie A giants, Tounekti only recorded 27 touches and completed just one of his three attempted dribbles, having only recorded one progressive carry to boot.

It was both impressive how regularly his teammates looked to get young Hatton the ball, but also how willing he was to take on his man, having subsequently been lauded by O’Neill for that front-foot approach:

It’s that style and quality that certainly evokes memories of Jota at his best, with Hatton himself noting, upon signing for Ayr, that he’s “direct and fast”, while telling his new fanbase to “expect to see goals [and] assists”.

Like Jota, he’s already shown that he’s adept at finishing chances himself but also putting it on a plate for others, starting the season with Celtic’s B team by registering three goals and assists in just three Challenge Cup appearances.

His overall record for the second team stands at 16 goal involvements in just 34 appearances, as per Transfermarkt, a fine return that he’ll hopefully replicate out on loan.

With Tounekti toiling as it stands, don’t be surprised to see Hatton back in the first-team fold sooner rather than later to try and take that left-wing berth for himself.