According to the latest reports from the Daily Record, Celtic’s record signing Odsonne Edouard will draw significant interest from some of the top European clubs in the January transfer window. Serie A giants like Lazio, AS Roma and Napoli are said to be interested as well as German heavyweights Borussia Dortmund and Lyon from France.
The representatives of all these clubs were reportedly present in Slovakia to see Edouard in action for France u-21. The striker bagged a hattrick as France went on to win 5-3 against Slovakia. The Celtic striker’s form for club and country has been eye-catching so far this season, and it is not surprising to see him linked with a move away.
Celtic’s stance on Edouard
However, Celtic are braced for interest for the striker, and they have reportedly informed his advisors that he wouldn’t be up for sale in January. Even next summer, possible suitors will have to pay the more than the record fee for a Celtic player which was set this year only by Kieran Tierney who joined Arsenal.
Given Edouard’s importance in the current Celtic lineup, it is understandable why the club’s management is taking such stance. Celtic legend and pundit Chris Sutton recently went on to say that the Hoops cannot sell Edouard even for £50m in January and we think that he is right.
Why is Edouard essential for Celtic?
One of the significant reasons why Lennon cannot let him go is that he doesn’t have any quality options beyond the Frenchman upfront. Leigh Griffiths was out of football for close to six months earlier this year due to personal issues. He looked rusty in some of the appearances this season and has struggled with injuries as well.
Vakoun Issouf Bayo, on the other hand, is untested at this level and he is certainly not reliable at this stage of his career. Moreover, Celtic have a real title challenge on their hands for the first time in years given Rangers’ resurgence. The Hoops are already trailing by two points in the Premiership and their dream of making it 9 in a row hangs in the balance for now.
Edouard has 42 goals to his name in 98 appearances for Celtic. The 21-year-old is also able to link up play well as he has 17 assists in Celtic colours. At just 21, he has looked like an established striker for the Hoops, and there is no doubt that he would move on to bigger and better things in the future. However, Celtic need to make sure that they don’t let him move, atleast this January, so their title challenge isn’t derailed midway through the season.
