If the recent reports from Egypt (as cited by The Scottish Sun) are believed to be true, Celtic are eyeing a winter move for Ibrahim Diabate. The GAIS hitman is reluctant to ply his trade in Africa despite interest from Al-Ahly. However, an offer from the Celts could be too fascinating to turn down, particularly after clinching the Allsvenskan golden boot for the 2025 season.
The 26-year-old Ivory Coast striking ace progressed through the academy setup of Académie MimoSifcom back in his homeland before being promoted to their first-team squad. He also had a stint in Ligue 2 with Ivoire Académie, but was eventually scouted and roped in by Spanish outfit Mallorca for their reserves.
Although he joined Sevilla Atlético on loan with a buyout clause, the club chose not to make the deal permanent, thus resulting in his return to the Balearic Islands.
Road To Success
Diabate made his senior Mallorca debut in January 2021, and then joined Atlético Madrid B next month for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign. His time in Spain’s lower ranks was not a success, which led to a Bosman transfer to Västerås SK in Sweden’s second division. There, he only found the net 7 times in 41 appearances, but flourished significantly upon switching to GAIS in the top flight earlier this year.
With 20 goals and 5 assists in 33 appearances across competitions, the ‘number 9’ has shown his poaching traits while spearheading the attack. The Gothenburg side, who signed him for free, now values him at around £3m. Celtic, in desperate need of an outright centre-forward, should step up the hunt in the coming days.
Wilfried Nancy endured a disastrous start as the Hoops boss with four successive defeats across competitions. However, his strategy and style of play worked against Aberdeen and Livingston in back-to-back games, bringing them within three points of the league leaders, Hearts, with a game in hand. With Rangers catching up, they can’t afford to drop further points in the second half of the season, and after a dismal summer window, the board must back the Frenchman by snapping up players who would fit in his system.
Why Celtic Should Bring Him In
Celtic parted ways with Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah over the past two windows and tied down the likes of Shin Yamada, Callum Osmand and Kelechi Iheanacho. While Yamada is viewed as a bit-part option, injuries to Osmand and Iheanacho leave them with Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny as the only specialists up top. Kenny has netted a few times but lacks the consistency, whereas restricting Maeda to a targetman limits his quality.
Diabate, majestic throughout the calendar year, should replicate his red-hot form to resolve the Bhoys’ striker conundrum. He is a traditional ‘number 9’ who is on the rise and could hit the peak over the next few years.
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