Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti has vowed to battle new signing Haissem Hassan for a starting place, insisting he can boost his numbers and help the team win games. Hassan, 24, is set to join the Hoops this week as manager Martin O'Neill closes in on a top transfer target, adding to a revamped frontline that already includes Champions League marksmen Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran.
Tounekti ready for competition
Tounekti, who joined from Hammarby IF for £5m, had an inconsistent debut season, registering just five goals and three assists. But the Tunisian international is confident he has learned from the experience and is ready to prove his worth.
"I want to get into a rhythm. I know I can help the team to win games with goals and assists. I'm pretty sure I will do that. I'm feeling in great form and training well. Hopefully I can help the team as soon as possible," he said.
He acknowledged the challenge of adapting to a club of Celtic's stature: "Maybe people forget that you don't really know what kind of club you're coming to. Of course, you know the history and how massive the club is. But you have to be here and feel it to really know the size of the club and the expectations."
World Cup turmoil
Tounekti, capped 17 times by Tunisia, enjoyed a dream World Cup call-up that turned sour when coach Sabri Lamouchi was sacked after just one game. He described the experience as "great" but admitted the results were not the best.
"Changing manager was quite strange. All of the players in the squad agreed on it. We were not so happy and it was strange. We had to make the most of it and try to get a result in the two other games, but we didn't manage that," he said.
He is already looking ahead to the next World Cup: "You want to play in these tournaments and it's a long time till the next World Cup. I can't think about that. You want to be involved and I'd love to be involved again if possible."
Settling in at Celtic
Despite Celtic being his seventh club, Tounekti has felt at home in Glasgow, thanks to his family and the club's support. He also revealed he has taken the number 17 jersey, which he had wanted last season but was held for Kelechi Iheanacho.
"It's true. I asked for No.17 last season as well but they had held it for Iheanacho. He came two days after me. I wanted the number because it was one of my first numbers as a professional player," he explained.
Champions League dream
Tounekti is desperate to help Celtic navigate this month's Champions League play-off against LASK, a competition he has always dreamed of playing in.
"It's a massive motivation for me and for the whole squad, especially after what happened last season [Celtic failed to qualify]. The boys are really looking forward to the play-offs," he said.
He added: "When I heard the stories of Celtic Park with the Champions League nights, it's so special and so unique that you can't experience it anywhere else. To experience it in the stadium would be amazing and a big motivation."
Support for O'Neill
Before the play-off, Celtic face Kilmarnock today and Dundee United next weekend. Tounekti hopes to secure three points for manager Martin O'Neill, who recently had a health scare.
"We know he will be well soon and back at the club. We will try to do everything we can to get the three points for him. It's important to get a nice start to the season and get some positive feeling into the important weeks coming up," he said.
He praised the coaching staff: "Shaun and Fozzy have done an amazing job but it's always nice to have the gaffer around. He is always bringing positive vibes around the building and we're looking forward to having him back."
