Celtic have already been linked (Daily Mail) with a move for Le Havre’s forward Tino Kadewere in the January window. Kadewere has 18 goals and four assists to his name so far this season. The striker had also attracted interest from the likes of Bournemouth and Southampton. However, Kadewere has gone on to move to Lyon, and the French heavyweights have loaned him back to the Ligue 2 club for the rest of the season.
Why Celtic lost the race for him
Le Havre’s director Pierre Wantiez had already indicated that they wouldn’t sell their main man for cheap. Wantiez said (France Bleu), ”We want more than £12 million, clearly.” The striker’s reported fee is said to be around €15m (GFFN) along with bonuses.
It was understandable why the club would rate him so highly as Le Havre are chasing promotion to the top flight and Kadewere is currently carrying the goal-scoring hopes of his team. With that kind of price tag involved, it was not surprising that Celtic missed out on him.
The Glaswegian giants have already secured the signing of Patryk Klimala. The Polish youngster is likely seen as a backup to Odsonne Edouard, and it remains to be seen whether the club would splash the cash for another striker or not.
A big miss for Lennon?
Celtic will hope that Leigh Griffiths and Vakoun Issouf Bayo can also contribute this season and if both of them can get their act together, then the Hoops might not need to bring in another attacking option. Nevertheless, Kadewere would have been a talented option, and his price tag could rise up further once he starts performing for Lyon.
Kadewere is known for his pace and acceleration, and he is a hard worker off the ball. The striker never allows the opposition defenders to settle in and he chases every lost cause by pressing high up the pitch. He still hasn’t proven himself in a tougher league, so maybe that’s why Celtic didn’t go on to splash big money for him.
Celtic had paid £9m to sign Edouard which is their transfer record. The French striker had proven himself initially on loan with Celtic, and then only the Bhoys went on sign him permanently for a lot of money. Kadewere is seen as a significant talent, but Celtic only need someone who can be a backup to Edouard and can contribute from time to time. Hence, it made sense for Celtic to not go all-in for Kadewere once they secured the signature of Klimala. The Zimbabwean striker would have been a good pick, but Celtic are well covered in the striking department for now.
