Celtic legend Chris Sutton has delivered his verdict on whether or not the Hoops can afford to sell French attacker Odsonne Edouard.
Sutton appeared as a guest on the latest episode of the Record Celtic podcast and he was asked many questions about the Parkhead-based side. He was asked about Edouard and if he thinks the Frenchman could leave Celtic in the summer transfer window.
Edouard has been linked with moves to the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle United and Leicester City this year. French side Monaco had an approach rejected for him in the January transfer window as well.
When talking about Edouard, Sutton said: “How many times have Celtic had the opportunity to win 10 in a row and break history? We all know that. Imagine the message that it sends out to the support this season if Celtic sell their star man, their biggest player. Odsonne Edouard is aware of what’s at stake. This shouldn’t even be a discussion.
Do you think Edouard is set to stay at Parkhead?
Absolutely!
No, he can leave
“It doesn’t matter how much money Celtic are offered for Odsonne Edouard. There’s history on the line here, and Celtic owe it to their support, Peter Lawwell owes it to the support. We’re not asking him to stay for another seven, eight years. We’re asking him to stay for 12 months and that’s it, that’s it in a nutshell.”
Sutton believes that selling Edouard wouldn’t send out a positive message to Celtic fans and they can’t afford to let the Frenchman leave at this point of time.
TIF Thoughts…
Signs are positive that Edouard will stay at Parkhead beyond this summer as Neil Lennon has already confirmed that the club is in talks to hand the striker a new contract. The Hoops boss even praised how Edouard has developed during his time at Parkhead.
The 22-year-old scored a hat-trick for Celtic in their 5-1 win over Hamilton Academical recently. Last season, he scored 27 times in all competitions and 21 times in the league. That is a reflection of how important Edouard is for Celtic. With the club looking to win their tenth Premiership title in a row this season, a player like Edouard would be vital. So Sutton is right to say that Celtic shouldn’t sell the striker.