Celtic have announced the £2m capture of defensive midfielder Ismaila Soro from Bnei Yehuda via the club’s Twitter feed.
✍ We are delighted to announce the signing of Ismaila Soro, who has joined #CelticFC on a four-and-a-half year deal.#WelcomeSoro! 🍀🇨🇮
➡️ https://t.co/rTUvuIC4mW pic.twitter.com/814zXxVGvY
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 27, 2020
Soro signs as a direct replacement for Eboue Kouassi who has departed for Genk on an initial six month loan with a view to a permanent deal if he performs well at the Belgian side.
Celtic fans will be excited at the prospect of seeing Soro in the Parkhead club’s engine room and whether or not Neil Lennon has found the heir to Scott Brown’s throne.
Lennon has been experimenting with different formations following the winter break and there is every possibility that Callum McGregor will be moved forward into a more advanced position to allow him greater attacking freedom.
Will Ismaila Soro make an impact in the second half of the season?
Yes
No
Hoops fans took to Twitter in response to the announcement intrigued at what the Ivorian will bring to the dominant force in Scotland.
IVORIAN KANTÉ IS HERE
— owen 🇳🇴 (@OwenR67) January 27, 2020
Love the look of this wee man. He’s a midfield dynamo. Gives us running power, aggression & energy which are 3 critical ingredients in the middle. Really reminds me of Kante. When I first clapped eyes on Wanyama I knew he was diamond. I get the same sort of feeling with Soro.
— The Celtic Poet (@macroibin) January 27, 2020
Welcome to the club our new Ivorian midfield overlord! 🍀
— LouMun 67 (@lfmunro) January 27, 2020
Hope he’s a mix of wanyama and kouassi…. I mean I hope he’s 100% wanyama and 0% kouassi
— D. Hollywoodthebhoys (@DHollywoodtheb1) January 27, 2020
Ismaila welcome to the best football club you will ever play for you look exactly what we need .
— Daniel Tobin (@dant66) January 27, 2020
Welcome and all the very best …work hard give your all and you will have the best fans in the world supporting you all the way …you have the opportunity it is now up to you 👍💚👍
— SmiddyBhoy (@SmiddyBhoy1) January 27, 2020
Soro will be looking to hit the ground running and having played as recently as last week, match fitness won’t be an issue, Celtic fans could be in for a short wait with fixtures coming thick and fast over the coming weeks as they wait for a first sighting of their latest recruit.