Celtic, the champions of Scotland, are going strong in their ‘nine in a row’ mission having defeated Ross County 6-0 on Saturday afternoon. Odsonne Edouard made it to the scoresheet once again to take his goal tally to 6 in 8 Premiership matches. The Frenchman is in red-hot form with nine goals in 4 outings for his nation’s U21 side and has been linked to a move away from Parkhead amid interest from an array of European hotshots.
The Hoops have scouted and nurtured young talents over the years and played it right by investing a club-record £9m for the little-known Paris St-Germain centre-forward. Although he had a decent loan stint during the 2017-18 season, it was still a gamble for the Hoops considering their financial limitations in the transfer market. But the gamble paid off when he led the Bhoys to clinch a historic treble ‘treble’ and has only got better and sharper with time while spearheading the attack.
Lennon’s Stance
While the 21-year-old has been tipped to make a January move, Neil Lennon released a strong statement to cool down the speculations highlighting their decision to keep hold of Edouard until the closure of the ongoing campaign.
“There’s no chance of him leaving in January. Absolutely not. We’ve got too much to do here. He is a class player and is pivotal to us. We may or may not be in Europe after January, so that’s even more reason for him not to go. It wouldn’t hinge on that, absolutely not, but it would be a nice carrot for him, a reason to settle himself.”
Told the Northern Irishman (as quoted by the Daily Star prior to their weekend contest).
Boyd’s Claim
Kris Boyd, the Rangers legend, has tipped (as penned in The Scottish Sun) the centre-forward to ply his trade to Arsenal or Manchester United over any other mid-table Premier League outfit in the forthcoming future. Celtic are highly reliant on Edouard with Vakoun Issouf Bayo and Leigh Griffith yet to find their feet, and it’s risky business from the champions to bank on the Les Bleus youth international at least until the window reopens in January.
What Is Lennon’s Play
Celtic must look for quality upfront in winter. However, that should not be at the expense of Edouard whom they desperately require to deliver following Rangers’ resurgence under Steven Gerrard.
Lennon is a strong personality and would do everything to block a potential transfer but, at the same time, must start identifying potential alternatives who could succeed the French sensation for years to come.
