According to the latest reports from L’Equipe as cited by the Scottish Sun, Celtic’s striker Odsonne Edouard had agreed on a deal in principle with Ligue 1 outfit Monaco for a possible summer transfer. Then it is believed that Monaco pulled out of the agreement and returned to the negotiating table later on. However, after the initial talks fell through, Edouard rejected the advances from Monaco, and the French forward ended up remaining a Celtic player.
Losing him in this window would have been disastrous for the Hoops, so they have done well to keep him at the club. However, the fact that the striker had initially accepted a deal suggests that Celtic are still vulnerable to losing him in the near future.
Edouard’s rich vein of form
Though that shouldn’t come as a surprise as Edouard has been firing on all cylinders and has caught the eye at Parkhead after moving from Paris Saint Germain. The striker recently starred for France’s u-21 national team, and his performances have been making the right noise in the past year.
The forward already has five goals and five assists in all competitions this season, and if he remains fit, then Celtic will likely have a prolific scorer at their disposal. Edouard recently scored the all-important first goal in the Old Firm derby, and many would claim that he is the best striker in the division.
His pace, hold up play, runs between the channels and ability to go on marauding solo runs makes him a complete forward, and on his day, he is almost unplayable. Last season, the striker managed 22 goals in all competitions even though he missed good chunks of the season due to injuries.
What now for Celtic?
Celtic will want to keep him at all cost for the next 2-3 years at least, but the lure of playing in Ligue 1 cannot be ignored. The Hoops’ primary aim right now is to go for 10 Premiership titles in a row, and if Edouard stays, then they will have every chance of achieving that.
Good thing for the Hoops is that the transfer rumours didn’t affect him and Edouard has continued with his impressive form. Ideally, Celtic should look to keep him for the next two season atleast. However, we don’t live in an ideal world, and there is a good possibility that he could move away by next summer after resisting advances this year. In that case, all Celtic can do is that they make sure they can get the best price for their striker.
They would, however, need to spend on his replacement unlike what they did with the money received from the sale of Kieran Tierney to Arsenal.
