In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Aston Villa to recruit Celtic marksman Odsonne Edouard this summer. When asked about his thoughts on such a transfer, Agbonlahor said,
“They’ll be a bidding war for him.
“If I was Villa, I’d be taking £8million in cash up to Celtic Park and saying ‘Can we have him please?’
“I rate him highly, I think he’d be outstanding in the Premier League and a real threat.
“He’s going to be a player in demand and whoever gets him is going to be very lucky.”
Edouard’s Impressive Goal-Scoring Record At Celtic Park This Season
Despite Celtic’s struggles in the Scottish Premiership, Edouard has stood out by banging in plenty of important goals for his team this season. The French sensation has netted 20 goals and provided five assists in 35 matches for the Glaswegian giants this term across all fronts.
The Kourou-born attacker deserves some plaudits for averaging 3.2 shots, 1.1 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per game in the Scottish top-flight and the UEFA Europa League this season. Edouard has also interchanged possession with his teammates relatively well in the attacking third, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 79.5% in both those competitions (stats via whoscored).
The Frenchman has got just over a year left to run in his contract at Parkhead, so the Villans would be wise to listen to Agbonlahor’s advice by moving in for him when the transfer window commences later this year.
What Does The French Forward Bring To The Table?
Edouard is a quick and agile striker who can stretch the opposition defence by making some clever runs behind them. He has proven his value as an unforgivable finisher in front of the opponent’s goal over the past few years.
Standing at 1.87m, the French sensation is a powerful runner with the ball at his feet and can also win his fair share of aerial duels. However, he is still untested at the highest level and it remains to be seen whether he can cope with the physical nature and high intensity of English football if Villa boss Dean Smith decides to orchestrate a move to bring him to the West Midlands club this summer.
Should The Villans Launch A Move For Edouard This Summer?
Edouard’s knack for finding the back of the net makes him a great option for the Villans to consider this summer. The French marksman will add plenty of goals to Smith’s attacking department and has what it takes to compete with Ollie Watkins for a regular starting spot in Aston Villa’s first-team in the coming seasons. With all things considered, Smith would be wise to launch a move to get Edouard on board before the start of the new campaign as he is precisely the type of talent who could be a success story at Villa Park in the long run.
