Oliver Birch 
Stu Forster/Getty Images Sport
Josh Murphy is reportedly a summer target for Celtic, Football Insider reported last month, but I’m not so sure he’s a player the Hoops should be looking to sign.
According to Wales Online, the winger has received a fair amount of criticism from Cardiff City supporters this season, who appear to have been underwhelmed by some of his performances.
Furthermore, they claim that Murphy has also been booed off by sections of the Bluebirds support twice this campaign, with the most recent occasion coming when he substituted in a 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.
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While it’s never nice to see players being booed off by their own fans, looking at Murphy’s stats, it’s understandable to see why Cardiff supporters are left wanting more from a player they splashed £11m on back in 2018 (BBC Sport).
Since that move, the 25-year-old has netted just nine times in 56 appearances in all competitions, with a further five assists during that time (Transfermarkt), which is a goal contribution at an average of every four games.
Considering how Cardiff spent £11m on him just two years ago, the Championship side could look to recoup a significant amount of that fee if Celtic come knocking in the summer.
However a transfer in that region would equal or eclipse the record £9m they splashed on Odsonne Edouard in 2018 (Sky Sports), meaning the player in question would have to be worth spending that kind of money on.
And I think there could be better options available for a similar price. Take Mohamed Elyounoussi for example.
Southampton are reportedly willing to let him leave in the summer for a fee in the region of £9m, according to the Daily Record.
The winger already has one more assist this season than Murphy’s total for Cardiff across 56 games (Transfermarkt).
Furthermore, he has also scored seven times this season alone, which is just two strikes shy of the 25-year-old’s tally.
Therefore, I think Elyounoussi represents much better value for money by comparing just those two statistics, and he is who Celtic should be targeting a permanent move for rather than Murphy.
