Bordeaux may have more problems than Jay Z on a bad day but a lack of firepower is not one of them. Les Girondins have scored 38 goals in Ligue 1 this season despite finding themselves stuck to the bottom of the table with industrial-strength superglue.
That is 13 more than 19th-place Metz. More than high-flying Nantes, more than reigning champions Lille and as many as a Nice side sitting pretty in third.
Only four players in the league are more prolific than Hwang Ui-Jo, Bordeaux’s South Korean talisman (ten). Kylian Mbappe and Wissam Ben Yedder among them.
Albert Elis, meanwhile, has marked his debut season in French football with nine of his own. A tally that dwarves the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kasper Dolberg and Kevin Volland.
Is Alberth Elis finally heading to Britain?
The creeping inevitability of Bordeaux’s relegation, however, means it would be a massive surprise if either Hwang or Elis are plying their trade at the Matmut Atlantique by the time 2022/23 kicks off.
The latter only joined Bordeaux from Boavista last summer.
And Elis’ time in Wine Country would be enough to drive anyone to drink, his own fine form reminiscent of Rami Malik’s in 2018s Bohemian Rhapsody. The mercurial Malik did his very best with rather limited material. Elis, too, is proving to be a standout performer in an otherwise disappointing vehicle. One of the few positives to emerge from the wreckage with his reputation enhanced.
Elis, like Hwang, won’t be short of offers from inside and outside of France if – or when – Bordeaux are consigned to relegation just 13 years after winning the Ligue 1 title.
The spring-heeled 26-year-old is on loan at Bordeaux from Portuguese outfit Boavista.
Les Girondins can sign Elis permanently for a fee of £5 million before selling him on for a an immediate profit.
A very welcome windfall, one that will be hugely beneficial to a side reportedly facing record losses amid a precarious financial situation.
Will Celtic come calling again?
According to FootMercato, West Ham United have made their interest known.
Celtic, meanwhile, are long-time admires of the Honduran frontman. Former Hoops ace Emilio Izaguirre admitted back in 2019 that international team-mate Elis, then of MLS outfit Houston Dynamo, was keen on a move to Parkhead (Sun).
With Albian Ajeti heading out the door, Celtic may once again be in the market for a new number nine. And if Elis is available on the cheap – Bordeaux’s dire financial situation could force them to accept a cut-price fee – then this feels like an opportunity that, if not too good to miss, is certainly worthy of consideration.
If Elis can find the net at a regular rate for a crisis-hit club struggling at the bottom of the table, imagine how many he’d score at a league-leading Celtic side brimming with creativity.
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