Rangers’ resurgence under Steven Gerrard has drawn an end to Celtic’s decade-long supremacy in Scottish football. The quadruple treble winners miserably miss out on a historic ‘ten in a row’ and a summer revamp, therefore, is expected to occur prior to the 2021-22 season. A couple of rumours are already making the headlines with Celtic set to make the call on Jonjoe Kenny and Odsonne Edouard’s future.
Kenny, 23, has been a smart piece of January business following the sudden exit of Jeremie Frimpong. Bayer Leverkusen’s offer was too good to turn down amid the financial uncertainty in the wake of the worldwide pandemic and the Hoops are now assessing the option of investing a chunk of it to tie down the Everton loanee.
Why Celtic Must Tie Kenny Down Permanently
Although the Toffees set a valuation of around £10m initially, the right fullback is now available for a much lower sum (as cited by the Liverpool Echo) as he is set to enter the final year of his contract upon completion of the ongoing campaign. Celtic must grab this opportunity and snap up Kenny on permanent terms ahead of Burnley who showed strong interest in the Englishman previously.
Despite impressing on loan with Schalke last season, the youngster failed to stake a claim in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans in Merseyside. He was utilized sporadically in recent years, but it’s time for him to move on and find stability somewhere else. Celtic offered him a starting status week in week out and Kenny, too, took little time to settle in at Parkhead before delivering both in terms of attacking involvement and defensive duties.
Uncertainty Over Edouard’s Future
Celtic, meanwhile, are sweating over the future of hitman Odsonne Edouard who has recovered from a bumpy start and found his scoring boots with 20 goals across competitions. An array of English hotshots kept close tabs on the Frenchman and according to the Scottish Daily Mail (as cited by the Birmingham Mill), Arsenal are after the 23-year-old to succeed Pierre-Emile Aubameyang in the long run. Alexandre Lacazette has just over a year left in his contract, but the likes of Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli are touted to make it big having shown enough promises at such a tender age.
Edouard was valued in the region of £35m which, however, might get lowered drastically once the season is over. Leicester City and Aston Villa have joined the race as well for ‘French Eddie’ and Celtic, with Leigh Griffiths, Patryk Klimala and Albian Ajeti failing to impress high up the pitch, must find a worthy replacement to add more goals to their game to match Rangers’ tally.
