St Polten reveal why Balic did not join Celtic – is Elyounoussi a better signing?

St Polten general manager Andreas Blumauer has revealed why Celtic were unable to sign Husein Balic this summer.

Blumauer has claimed that they would have only let Balic leave if they received a huge transfer fee, due to the fact they were operating under a transfer ban – meaning that they would be unable to replace him during the window.

Speaking to Spox, he said this:

Due to our special situation, we would have only let Balic leave if we had received a really very good offer. 

Celtic had been linked with a move for the winger, but eventually sign Mo Elyounoussi from Southampton on loan.

READ CELTIC VERDICT 

Were Celtic better off signing Elyounoussi on loan?

In the short-term, yes. In the long-term, no. Elyounoussi is far more experienced than the St Polten forward, with 29 European games under his belt and over 200 career appearances, scoring 80 goals – whilst Balic has only scored 10 league goals in his career. 

However, it remains to be seen whether or not Elyounoussi could sign for Celtic on a permanent deal, which means that he may only be a short-term solution to their problems out wide. A permanent move for Balic would have been a good addition to bolster Neil Lennon’s side in both the short and long-term.