Neil Lennon has stated that Celtic have tried to negotiate new deals for Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard, but have received no encouragement from their representatives.
Edouard and Ajer both see their contracts expire in Glasgow in the summer of 2022. However, that puts players in an extremely strong position to leave their clubs as soon as a year before they expire. That’s because it’s the last feasible opportunity their club has to maximise their value and get a big sum in for them.
With Celtic a total mess this season and big changes looking set for the summer, we haven’t sold ourselves well this season. Both Ajer and Edouard have been in sensational individual form recently too. You wonder what’s been going through their minds as they watch some of the underperformers alongside them.
Today, Lennon was asked whether there was scope to offer either player a new deal or whether Celtic’s financial position could lead to them selling. Speaking at his pre-match presser for Aberdeen via Celtic TV, Lennon said: “Both. You could look at both scenarios.
“We have spoken to both their representatives about sitting down and discussing new contracts, but that’s not been forthcoming at the minute. So, we’ll have to wait and see what the summer brings.
“But what we do have is a team full of assets. Like I said, we just sold one there (Frimpong) for a huge amount of money.”
No surprises from Lennon; Ajer and Edouard clearly want to depart
It had become quite clear for many that both the Norwegian Ajer and Frenchman Edouard have wanted out for some time. Otherwise, new contracts would surely have been signed long ago.
Both men will know that committing themselves further reduces their own power in the summer transfer window. They’ll be effectively handing over all of the aces in the deck to the club. That’s the last thing they’ll want. It would mean if an offer from a bigger club and bigger platform wasn’t deemed high enough, there would be no pressure for Celtic to sell.
It probably wouldn’t have mattered if we had won the 10 of course. Heck, we probably could’ve won a quadruple this season and both men still would’ve wanted out. You can’t blame Lennon for players wanting to progress their careers. Ajer in particular appeared to make that clear at the start of the season [Sky Sports].
But if anything is confirmation of their intentions to leave, it’s this. Quotes from the manager confirming their representatives haven’t been willing to discuss new contracts.
If they had any intentions of staying, this could’ve been sorted in a speedy fashion. There would be no reason for them to drag it on for so long, especially as we close in on the summer.
Hopefully, we can get maximum value for both players and rake in some much-needed transfer cash. There’s simply no other happy outcome for us here.
In other news, a report has outlined an early Celtic summer shortlist for new players.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
