Odsonne Edouard is showing he is worth every penny which Celtic paid for him to make him their record signing. The £9m man initially impressed while playing on loan. He played second fiddle to Moussa Dembele that campaign but soon he went on to become the main man as the Hoops sold Dembele in the summer of 2018. Edouard has since become the talismanic man at the club.
This is more so now under Lennon, as he has minimal options beyond Edouard given the struggles of Leigh Griffiths. The Frenchman’s impressive form for France’s u-21 team has brought him plenty of attention of late, and some of the top clubs have been linked with a January move for him. It is unlikely that Celtic will look to do business for him in January and Lennon has also indicated the same.
Losing Edouard: An inevitability for Celtic
Herald Scotland’s Chief Football Writer Matthew Lindsay meanwhile believes that Edouard is almost sure to leave the club next summer. With clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United interested, that will be a huge possibility. Top players have only lasted around two to three seasons in Scotland as Celtic had earlier lost the likes of Victor Wanyama, Virgil Van Dijk and Moussa Dembele after a similar time period.
All Lennon can now hope is that his striker can carry on with his excellent form this season and remain injury-free. That would allow Celtic to get the best possible price for him in the summer of 2020. The Hoops had sold Dembele for £20m and Tierney for £25m recently. Edouard has the potential to overtake both of them, and the striker can become Celtic’s record outgoing transfer.
Matthew Lindsay believes that Celtic can get around £30m for him which is a conservative estimate at this point. The fact that Edouard is still 21 and he has time on his hand to improve his game further might mean that Lindsay isn’t wrong here.
Why fetching over £30m is also a possibility for Lennon?
Moreover, Edouard can score all kind of goals, and he is a complete forward. He has the strength and physicality to play as a targetman, but he likes to make runs between the channels. Truly, he is a very mobile striker. His dribbling skills and pace can take anyone by surprise, and the Frenchman can go on marauding runs whenever he wants.
All in all, he is a complete package, and if Edouard continues with his rich vein of form and delivers the title for Celtic again, then he can go on to fetch even over £30m.
