Neil Lennon has indicated that he is hopefully of securing both Fraser Forster and Mohamed Elyounoussi for one of the club’s biggest ever seasons as they look to become the first to complete 10 successive title triumphs.
The Daily Record reported the Parkhead gaffer’s comments as he was asked questions about how he sees his squad taking shape for next season:
“We’re hopeful they’ll be around but that’s a conversation we’ll have to have with Southampton and with the players individually.
“We’d want to keep them if we could. It keeps that continuity going rather than maybe going out and bringing other players in.
“If we could keep the services of those two, they know how we work and what the club is all about. They made really good contributions. Fraser was absolutely brilliant and Moey, up until the injury, was fantastic.”
There is the obvious issue of transfer fees with the pair originally costing Southampton £26million combined and they would be unlikely to let them go for cheap at a time when every club is counting the pennies.
Forster would be a contender for player of the season after a sensational return to Celtic Park, almost singled handedly winning the first trophy of the season and pulling his teammates out of the mire on more than one occasion.
It may come as a surprise to Hoops fans that Lennon is looking to extend Elyounoussi’s stay with the Norwegian international struggling to make an impact after the winter break, even after he returned to fitness but the gaffer makes an excellent point in that he is looking for a consistency in the squad rather than having to bed too many players in at once.
Keeping a hold of key players and the core of the team will be more important than new faces being brought in, motivation will not be a factor so it will very much be a case of business as usual when Scottish football eventually returns and Celtic look to make history once again.