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Odsonne Edouard is once again linked to a move away from Celtic, but is he destined for the Premier League? Sky Sports experts have their say.
The 22-year-old forward has been strongly linked to a move to England and the Daily Express reported last week that Arsenal is the favorite but that he would have to pay over £ 25m for the Frenchman.
But is Edouard good enough for the Premier League? Would he fit in at Arsenal and be a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?
Sky Sports experts Charlie Nicholas, Kris Boyd and Andy Walker plus Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol has been evaluating Edouard’s talent and a possible transfer …
Who is Edouard?
The striker began his career at PSG, but never made an appearance for the club.
Born in French Guiana, Edouard spent his youth career at the Paris Saint-Germain Academy. He began to attract attention when he scored 60 goals between 2013 and 2015 with the U17 and U19 squads, and in January 2016, he won the Titi d’Or award for best player in the academy that season.
In April 2016, he signed his first professional contract at PSG and played in the International Champions Cup in the preseason, but never made a competitive appearance for the club. He was loaned to Toulouse for the 2016/17 campaign, but this ended abruptly when he was involved in an incident in which a bystander was injured with an airsoft gun.
After a difficult period in Toulouse and his career at PSG stagnation, Edouard came to Celtic on loan from one season to the next. He scored in his debut in a 4-1 victory against Hamilton and made his first appearance in the Champions League a few days later, in a 5-0 loss against his parent club. He then scored 11 goals with four assists in his first season with Celtic.
Odsonne Edouard initially signed with Celtic on loan before making the permanent move the following summer
In June 2018, Edouard signed a four-year permanent contract at Celtic, helping them to a Scottish historic hat trick with 22 goals and eight assists in all competitions.
Its shape has only improved in the current campaign. He already has 28 goals with 14 assists for the 2019/20 season and manager Neil Lennon said in February: “He is an exceptional footballer. He seems to play on the streets sometimes, he makes it look easy, but he isn’t.”
“He is deceptively strong, deceptively fast and has shiny feet, and he is as cool as a cucumber. So we are delighted with the way he is … There is no doubt that this is his best season and he is only going to to get better “.
Moussa Dembele’s comparisons
Odsonne Edouard has been compared to her former teammate, Moussa Dembele
Many have likened Edouard to former Celtic striker and French teammate Moussa Dembele, with Edouard filling his shoes when Dembele moved to Lyon in August 2018.
Speaking about Edouard’s talent and comparing the two, Charlie Nicholas said: “Edouard is a very good technical player. There have been comparisons to Dembele, who has now been linked to Chelsea for £ 40m-50m, and I look back on the Balance of what Edouard has compared him to Dembele.
“Dembele is a more aggressive character and is better in the air, while Edouard is a more relaxed individual. He is good with both feet and is 6 feet 1 inch so aerial that he could be a threat. But he doesn’t actually play that way. .
“He’s going to score some headers because his physicality is good, but it’s more about the connecting game, putting the ball on his feet, converting the defenders. Running behind the defenders’ shoulders.”
“Of course he could make it to the Premier League, but he would need to be playing in a team structure that has a lot of ball. At Celtic, they have it 75-80 percent of the time. That’s why such a marketed product has become .
0:45 Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard makes a difference for Neil Lennon’s team, according to Andy Walker
“He has had his best goal season and has scored quite a few in Europe, so he is not just judging on his own in Scottish football. In the last six months, we have seen defenders have tried to get in shape by kicking him, We have seen him begin to react in a good way.
“Before, he could disappear for 20 or 25 minutes, but now when that happens, he gets agitated and tries even harder. As a result, he has become Celtic’s key player and the best by distance. He will leave Celtic.”
“Some people suggest that he will stay next season when Celtic goes in search of 10 titles in a row. People in the north are so bogged down by that, but Edouard is now coming to the side of his career at age 22 where, like Dembele, It will be looking at those who are interested in signing it. “
Boyd: Edouard will go to the top in England
Odsonne Edouard has already scored 27 times this season
With a keen interest in the Premier League, the question everyone will ask is whether Edouard can take the step forward, but Boyd has no doubts about his ability to reach the top of England.
Speaking on a recent Scottish Player of the Year podcast for Sky SportsHe said: “He is the outstanding player in the league, a class apart. There is talk of him going to a mid-table team in England, but he should eliminate them and go straight to the top with any of the big guns.”
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“He has it all. He slides in before the defenders as if they weren’t there. He has skill, although perhaps a criticism may be his completion, he tries to put everything in the corners. He is not from the same school as someone like Leigh Griffiths but terms of the complete package, he is the best player in Scotland.
“Yes, he has the supply line of his teammates, but you have to get to those positions. He will go straight to the top in England, he doesn’t need to prove himself in that regard. If I were Celtic I would wait for a record fee, as he will top £ 20m for Dembele. He is destined for the top. “
Will a move definitely be on the cards?
The 22-year-old still has two years left on his current Celtic deal
In a recent Q&A Transfer Center, Sky Sports News Reporter Solhekol was asked about a possible move by Edouard, and he threw another potential suitor into the mix.
He said, “Edouard won’t necessarily go anywhere. He’s had a great season, scoring 27 times, and he’s only 22, so it’s not surprising that other clubs are watching him closely. He has two years left on his Celtic contract and I could sign a new deal.
“The highest rate a Scottish club has received for a player is the £ 25 million Arsenal paid Celtic for Kieran Tierney last summer. Someone would have to offer more than that for Celtic to be tempted to do business and that type of money is unlikely to be flying around the transfer market during the next window.
“Leicester has been watching him closely and Brendan Rodgers has known everything about him since his time at Celtic.”
“Celtic have had to sell players like Virgil van Dijk and Dembele. It would be nice to see them cling to Edouard as long as possible.”
Nicholas: Edouard would adapt to Arsenal
Odsonne Edouard needs service to succeed, says Charlie Nicholas
Narrowing things down further, would Edouard be suitable for Arsenal? Charlie Nicholas thinks so, but he is cautious about where he could play and how he could adapt.
He said: “Edouard could certainly play for Arsenal because the way they play, his style would be more than adequate for it. The problem is having the right judgment on whether he is ready now, playing every week for Arsenal compared to who is there”. I’m already a huge admirer of Alexandre Lacazette, and Edouard has quite a bit of Lacazette flair in his game.
“I certainly wouldn’t come to England immediately and score 20 to 25 goals in one season unless Arsenal finds renewed belief and they get the whole team right. It has potential, absolutely, but I’m not convinced they’ll go shopping. The reason is that in Scotland Celtic is evaluating him as a £ 40 million player.
“This will come down to what Edouard wants. If he wants to leave, he will leave. Celtic will take the cash instead of having a player who is not committed to the cause because historically that is what they have done, with Dembele, Van Dijk and Tierney .
“You have to go to a side that plays it. You can play with a partner and you can play alone, but you have to play in a team that will give you a lot of service. If you play in a side that sometimes gets 40 percent of the possession, it will be very difficult for him to adapt.
9:52 Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has revealed that the club is preparing for various scenarios regarding its activity in the transfer window once it opens.
“His attitude has improved enough to tell me that he will become a major player, but I am not too convinced that teams will see him as a £ 40 million player. But the current market with the coronavirus will likely impact the value of Players, this will play a crucial role.
“Although the big clubs have a lot of money, it has been invested. Football will have to be kicked in the short term, financially, and many clubs will re-evaluate their transfer budgets. The clubs may have to accept what they want. lots of cases, and only spend sparingly. The moment could put any move in jeopardy.
‘Edouard is not a replacement for Aubameyang’
Could Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pave the way for Odsonne Edouard’s Arsenal movement?
It is easy to see a connection. Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is being linked with a move, while Edouard appears to be the target of his replacement, but Nicholas doesn’t think it’s a peer-to-peer exchange.
“There has been a lot of talk that Aubameyang was sold, but Edouard would not be the answer,” he said. “He plays differently, more like Lacazette. Aubameyang is about rhythm and movement. Although he likes to play role No. 9, he doesn’t play it as well as Edouard. Similarly, Edouard couldn’t play in the position that Aubameyang does. , wide to the left.
0:30 Sky Sport Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio provides an update on the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang amid reports of interest from Inter Milan.
“He wants to be the team’s key figurehead as the link man through the middle. For that reason, I don’t see Arsenal targeting him as a replacement for Aubameyang. Arsenal is in a horrible position when it comes to solving Aubameyang’s contract offer Barcelona and Real Madrid have been mentioned and they have the funds to buy it.
“Edouard is too similar to Lacazette, and if he were to move he paints a different picture. Edouard would then fit into the Arsenal team as No. 9. You would still need to give him time as he hasn’t been playing against Premier Quality every week. League “.
Walker: How much would you pay for a commission?
Scottish football has had talents like Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and John McGinn that make it the Premier League
Speaking on a recent Scottish Player of the Year podcast for Sky SportsAndy Walker pondered what kind of fee Edouard might charge given the other talent the club has sold in recent years.
“The market has changed recently as Celtic has managed to get huge rates for players like Dembele,” he said.
“It makes me wonder how much Eduourd will charge: playing European football helps when he’s performing well there and for the French U21s.”
“I think in England he is realizing that the talent is there. Virgil van Dijk played in Scotland for years and no one imagined it until Southampton got it and stepped up to Liverpool. Andy Robertson was the same and John McGinn is a perfect example. ” As soon as he settled down after 20 games for Aston Villa, there was talk that he would move to Manchester United.
“There is now a general acceptance that Scottish football is not as bad as some thought.”
“There are players who can thrive in the competitive environment and it is a good setting to showcase your talent. The players seem happy to come to Scotland and make it a springboard for bigger clubs with more money. Most Scottish clubs accept it.” .
“Most Celtic fans would agree with me when I say Edouard has been the most influential player in the league. He steps forward on the big occasion, scores important goals, ties the game and has very good possession.”
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