Celtic Target Yves Bissouma After European Exit

Celtic’s bruising exit from Europe has left more than a mark on the club’s pride. It has exposed a glaring problem in the heart of Martin O’Neill’s midfield – and pushed the Hoops towards a familiar hunting ground: the free-agent market.

Celtic circle Bissouma after European bruising

Yves Bissouma, released by Tottenham and available on a free, has emerged as a serious option as Celtic weigh up how to inject authority and control into a midfield that crumbled in Austria against LASK. At 29, he is no project player, no raw prospect. He is a seasoned Premier League operator with years of top-level experience behind him.

Celtic’s collapse in that Champions League tie was not just about missed chances or defensive lapses. They lost the fight where it matters most at this level – in the middle of the pitch. They struggled to keep the ball, struggled to win it back, and never truly dictated the tempo. It was the kind of performance that lingers in a manager’s mind when the transfer window is ticking down.

Bissouma’s profile fits the problem almost too neatly. A powerful ball-winner, aggressive in the tackle, and comfortable carrying the ball through pressure, he offers exactly the kind of presence Celtic lacked when the game turned against them. When he is at his best, he doesn’t just break up play; he drags his team up the pitch.

No transfer fee, peak age, proven pedigree. On paper, it is the kind of opportunity that can reshape a season.

A crowded race for a free agent with pedigree

Celtic, though, are not alone at the table.

Journalist Lassana Camara reports that the Glasgow club are “closely following” Bissouma’s situation, but they have heavyweight company. Ajax have stepped into the race, with the Dutch giants said to be keen on taking the Mali international to Amsterdam as the window edges towards its close. İstanbul Başakşehir are also in the mix, eyeing the midfielder as a potential anchor for their own ambitions.

Camara outlines the picture clearly: Bissouma, free since leaving Tottenham, has drawn interest from several European clubs as the deadline looms. Ajax have reportedly expressed a desire to bring him to the Netherlands. In Turkey, İstanbul Başakşehir like his profile. In Scotland, Celtic are tracking developments closely.

For Bissouma, the next move is pivotal. After several seasons in the Premier League, this is the moment to choose a new stage and a new challenge in Europe. For Celtic, it is about more than adding another name to the squad list. It is about changing the feel of their midfield after a chastening European lesson.

The coming hours, as Camara notes, should bring clarity on where he lands.

If Celtic can persuade Bissouma that his future lies in Glasgow, it would send a message after that LASK defeat: the midfield that wilted in Austria is not the one that will carry them into the rest of the season.