15th February 2026; Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Kilmarnock versus Celtic; Sebastian Tounekti of Celtic
Paul John Dykes has claimed that Sebastian Tounekti got off the Celtic team bus last night and got in a taxi back to his home.
Similar claims were made about the winger over Sunday’s match against Hibs at Easter Road.
The return of Jota to the Celtic squad and deployment of Callum Osmand on the left wing has closed the doors on Tounekti’s domestic playing time.
The former Hammarby winger is in Celtic’s Europa League squad and started the recent match away to Benfica.
Osmand replaced him at half-time with Martin O’Neill making big claims about Celtic’s second half performance in Lisbon.
Against Hearts and Hibs Tounekti failed to make the bench, last week against Celta Vigo he played for the last 10 minutes.
Currently his playing time is very limited but if he is getting off the team bus and getting a taxi home his time at Celtic looks up under Martin O’Neill.
Naturally none of Celtic’s hand picked media partners asked even the gentlest of questions about the out of favour winger in the pre and post match media conferences.
https://youtu.be/A5O_wFZ2vYM?t=877
After 14 minutes 40 seconds of the post match ACSOM show Dykes said:
Before the game, another rumour was circulating. It’s actually circulated twice I think this season that Tounekti jumped off the bus and jumped in a taxi away home, he went because he was disappointed that he wasn’t in the squad.
I actually heard from a very, very good source that that did happen.
So he plays a European game, comes on, plays a European game, doesn’t play against Hibs, goes away in the puff with a bottom lip out.
The petted lip and he’s not in the squad tonight. And there’s a we group of these guys that I think Martin O’Neill’s Hatate’d them.
Remember Hatate after Tannadice (in March), couldn’t get a look in. I think McCowan’s in that boat. I think Tony Ralston’s in there as well. And now we’ve got a situation with Tounekti.
Similar claims were made on Sunday with Tounekti missing from the squad that beat Hibs.
@JohnBrady1982 That’s right enough my boy was at the game and said that as well
— Jamie Doyle (@Doylehailhail) October 25, 2026
NO CELTIC FUTURE FOR TOUNEKTI?
Tounekti appears to be entering the same phase that Michel Ange Balikwisha discovered at Celtic last season. £10m spent on transfer fees with five year contracts handed out.
Both players were signed in the final week of the summer 2025 transfer window and are miles short of what is required.
Three years ago Celtic had Jota and Daizen Maeda competing for the starting place on the left wing.
Balikwisha and Tounekti highlight the downgrading of the club since June 2023 when Mark Lawwell presented the returning Brendan Rodgers with a job lot of projects and misfits.
With contracts that run until May 2030 Tounekti and Balikwisha are in the driving seat. Their salaries are secure as Celtic managers struggle to find a way of dealing with two sub-standard signings.
As the Hatate treatment shows O’Neill is generally ruthless on these sort of issues. When he isn’t impressed by someone it is almost impossible to find a way back into favour.
Spot on. Substandard signings to begin with and I will be happy if neither of them play again because they bring zilch, Zero, Nada to the team. On that subject why does it appear that MON is playing loanees more than our contracted players. His decision are baffling and scary I am beginning to think he’s lost the plot. Trick or Treat anyone? Maybe we’re in for a whole load of terror and not for one night only.
If true that is the first decent thing he’s done this season… Just don’t come back please.