Celtic manager Neil Lennon stated how important it is for his side to retain the services of Odsonne Edouard following his side’s win over Hamilton Academical on Sunday. His interview featured on a recent edition of the BBC’s Sportsound Scottish Football podcast and the Northern Irish coach spent some time talking about the French striker.
After spending some time on loan at Celtic during the 2017/18 campaign, Edouard joined Celtic on a permanent deal back in the following summer, moving to Parkhead from Paris Saint-Germain for £9.27m. After joining Celtic on a permanent deal, Edouard was the Hoops’ top goalscorer in all competitions in both the 2018/19 season and the 2019/20 season.
Edouard got his 2020/21 campaign off to a positive start on Sunday in the Hoops’ clash with Hamilton, as he scored a hat-trick to help Celtic earn a 5-1 win in their opening Scottish Premiership match of the season.
With all of that in mind, it may be fair to say that Edouard has been prolific in front of goal since joining Celtic on a permanent basis and it mightn’t come as a big surprise that the £13.5m-rated Frenchman has been linked with a move to a variety of different Premier League clubs lately.
Lennon was asked how important it is for Celtic to hold onto Edouard during his post-match interview following his side’s win on Sunday and the Hoops boss responded to that question by saying: “It’s pivotal we hold onto him. We don’t want him to go anywhere and it’s a brilliant start to the season for him.
“That’s what’s pleased me over the last, sort of, 12-18 months is his goal return – as well as all the other good things he brings to the game, he’s scoring a lot of goals now and it’s fantastic to see, but I’m sure he’d be the first to say it was a real team effort today.”
Do you think that Edouard will remain a Celtic player for the entirety of the 2020/21 season?
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Considering how important Edouard has been for Celtic’s attack since joining the club permanently, it may be understandable why Lennon believes that it is ‘pivotal’ for the Hoops to keep him at Parkhead, especially as Celtic are hoping to win an unprecedented 10th straight Scottish Premiership title this term. With that in mind, it may be difficult for any potential buyers to prise Edouard away from Parkhead.