According to a recent report by The Sun, Dean Smith’s Aston Villa side are preparing to test Celtic’s resolve by submitting a £30m bid for the highly sought-after services of their French striker Odsonne Edouard. The former PSG man has been the talk of the town for a while now, and it’s not surprising that he’s prompting interest from the highest levels of European football. It has been suggested in the report that the Villans plan to spend big on a variety of targets again this summer, but that the Celtic man is their number one purchasing priority.
Although the report has clarified that Aston Villa are preparing a bid for Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard, whether or not Neil Lennon is willing to listen to offers remains to be seen. Dean Smith’s desire to strengthen his side this summer has been no secret, and he’s said to be planning a raid on his former club Brentford to potentially acquire the signatures of Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma as well. Despite this though, the gaffer’s first priority is claimed to be Edouard, who is attracting interest from elsewhere too. Arsenal are said to be considering dropping out of the race, which would leave the Birmingham club to battle it out with Crystal Palace and Leicester City for his services.
What Is Celtic’s Current Striker Situation?
The Premiership champions got their season off to the ideal start earlier on in the month, but it’s safe to say that things haven’t all gone entirely to plan since then. The debacle surrounding Boli Bolingoli’s illicit trip to Spain caused not just Celtic, but the entirety of the Premiership, some unnecessary damage.
The Celts got two of their matches postponed after the incident, and they only returned to league action in the win against Dundee United yesterday. Despite all this, one sign of positivity for Neil Lennon to keep in mind will be the fact that the winner in the victory against United was picked up by summer signing Albian Ajeti.
The former Basel striker has arrived from West Ham United on a permanent deal, and the gaffer will, without a doubt, be hoping that the Swiss striker can deliver the goods on a consistent basis. Edouard has been the Celts’ main talisman for a while now, and as good as he’s generally been, the lack of options in the role was always going to be a concern. Patryk Klimala and Leigh Griffiths form the other options, but with Griffiths heavily out of touch, and Klimala still very young, it’s not surprising that they’ve had to depend on Edouard all this while.
What Makes Odsonne Edouard Such An Attractive Prospect?
The Frenchman started the match against Dundee United last weekend, and despite having a host of clear chances, he was unable to get the ball past the keeper. While this isn’t going to come as the most motivating of signs, it’s safe to say that the former PSG man simply had an off-day at Tannadice. The forward is arguably the best finisher in all of Scotland, and it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that he’s among the best in the whole of the UK as well. Capable of producing quality goals and assists from any range or angle inside the box, the young forward even offers an unbelievable scope for development.
Aston Villa Are Preparing A Bid For Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard: Why Lennon Can’t Afford To Let Him Go
The Villans’ biggest piece of business last season came in the form of the big-money signing of Brazilian forward Wesley. Although there were some signs of positivity at the start, it must be conceded that the striker failed to capture the imagination of the Villa faithful. With another season in the top-flight beckoning, it isn’t surprising that Dean Smith’s side are trying to acquire a proven goalscorer. Celtic haven’t started this new league season off in the smoothest possible manner, and backing up that bad start with the loss of their main source of goals has the potential to leave Parkhead in a state of calamity for the entirety of this year.
