Vakoun Bayo has set himself two targets this season as he kickstarts his time on loan with Toulouse from Celtic.
The big Ivorian managed to net an impressive debut brace in a 5-3 defeat at Grenoble over a week ago. It comes after he confirmed his switch to the Ligue 2 club earlier this summer.
Bayo looked mightily impressive in the Grenoble defeat, towering home two terrific headers to keep his side in with a chance of a result. You can watch the highlights from that one by clicking here.
However, despite the game ultimately not going in his new side’s favour, the Celtic-owned forward is optimistic. So much so that he’s setting himself a target as high for as 20 goals for the season as well as promotion to Ligue 1.
Speaking to Toulouse’s official website in his first-ever interview with the club, Bayo said: “I tried to gain confidence from the start (against Grenoble). It worked well for me.
“The head game is one of my strengths along with my speed. I came to get goals and that’s what I tried to do in my first game. Like any striker, the objective is to achieve a number of goals, but my first objective this season is to see Toulouse back in Ligue 1. My number of goals? 15-20.
“In Grenoble, there was a good reaction. Now we know that we have to be focused from the start of the game. We can talk about a false start but it has just started. The championship is still long.”
A target that should be enough to catch Lennon’s eye
So there we have it – Bayo has pretty much laid out what would make a successful loan spell for him. At least 15-20 goals combined with promotion with Toulouse.
Considering the strength of Ligue 2, it’s a hefty target. However, both targets are achievable, and Bayo would be certainly be getting plenty of positive press along the way if things go as planned.
Should he end the campaign in France with 15-20 goals plus, Celtic boss Neil Lennon won’t ignore it. It would almost guarantee him his chance to shine in pre-season next term. That should be his ultimate goal ahead of anything else.
It would also be worth Bayo showing more of his aerial ability whenever he has the chance. Proving himself to be a solid, goal-scoring target man would certainly go down well with the supporters, and would prove that he can provide us with a different option to what we already have.
Of course, that’s way down the line. All Bayo has to his name so far is two goals against the side who finished ninth last season. It’s going to take a lot more than that as the campaign goes on to give the Hoops boss something to think about.
Signed by Brendan Rodgers two-and-a-half years ago for £2million (Glasgow Times), however, there’s still a desire from many of us to see something from Bayo. Hopefully, this spell is the making of him, and his targets can be achieved.
In other news, a Celtic-linked left-back is reportedly happy where he is despite talks with the Hoops.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
