Steven Mouyokolo has two weeks to earn a contract at Celtic.
The former Hull City and Wolves defender is expected to join Neil Lennon’s squad for their four game trip to Germany ahead of the opening competitive match of the season away to Cliftonville.
Mouyokolo trained with Celtic at the end of the last season and has returned to Lennoxtown for pre-season training hoping to clinch a contract.
The 26-year-old has only played a handful of matches in the last two years but seems to have attracted the attention of Lennon despite the £2.5m arrival of Virgil van Dijk from Groningen.
Kelvin Wilson, Efe Ambrose and van Dijk are likely to compete for the two places in central defence with Charlie Mulgrew also capable of slotting into that position.
With Ambrose not due back from international duty until the middle of the July Lennon would like to have another experienced option for a position that he’s constantly been working on since taking over from Tony Mowbray three years ago.
Mouyokolo has had to fight his way into the game having played for three French Second Division clubs before earning a four year deal with Hull City in 2009 after helping US Boulogne to win promotion to the top flight.
After a season that ended in Hull’s relegation from the top flight and the sacking of Phil Brown the defender was transferred to Wolves in a deal believed to be worth £2m but his career at Molineux never got off the ground with his contract cancelled in January.
Whether he can find an upturn in his fortune at Celtic remains to be seen with the German trip certain to be make or break for his hopes of a contract with the SPL champions.
“ransferred to Wolves in a deal believed to be worth £2m but his career at Molineux never got off the ground with his contract cancelled in January.”
Probably due to the fact he suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in February 2012.
Never got a chance at Wolves. Probs do well in Scotland. Good in the air and can pass out from the back in fact he is one of the better ones that had a run in the team and then got injured for a while.. Could be a good player for Celtic if he is back fit. Hull fans when we signed him we’re saying he would use Wolves as a stepping stone. Funny how things don’t work out.
Well, he’s got a great chance to sign for a really big club now. If he looks good enough , he’ll maybe get a game at Celtic.
Hope he isn’t looking for EPL / Championship wages or get him on a pay per play deal only. A handful of games in 2 years, ruptured ligament damage…personally I’d steer clear and disappointed if this is the best we can find. No harm in taking a look of course, but few of our trialists ever amount to anything.
We shouldn’t need to be looking at taking a chance on players, plenty of players who would give anything to play for us. Sure we will be inundated with names from Agent, plus whatever our scouts will have recommended – which should put this guy further down the list.