Celtic manager Neil Lennon has given his reaction to the start of Odsonne Edouard’s international career.
The French hitman managed to bag four goals against both Albania and the Czech Republic over the course of his first two games at under-21 level. The goals have certainly increased the media spotlight on the Frenchman too.
The Daily Mail reported this week that Napoli was preparing a £30million bid for him. They also credited the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Sampdoria with interest too. It’s fair to say his stock is rising.
But the Celtic manager has told the Celtic View (Volume 55, Issue 11, Page 06) that Edouard’s form at international level can only be good news for Celtic.
“Playing for your country means a lot to these boys. With France being the world champions, the standard is obviously stratospheric. So for Odsonne to come in and perform so well shows the confidence he’s playing with, not just for his country but for Celtic.
“It’s great for the club’s profile and it’s great for the player’s profile. Those two performances will fill him with great pride and it means a lot for these guys to play for their countries.”
Edouard’s international goals are a positive for Celtic
You can understand why some perhaps wouldn’t share Lenny’s enthusiasm. After all, it’s no surprise that a report on several clubs wanting him just days after his goals can be a coincidence, right?
For some, the performances of Edouard and others at international level can lead to unwanted interest. But it also, as Lennon says, boosts the club’s image, particularly in the eyes of other young stars.
Edouard, Moussa Dembele, and Olivier Ntcham all have under-21 experience behind them. It proves to the World Champions’ youngsters that Celtic is a good place to come and develop. It’s something that can help improve our calibre of signing from Europe’s long list of young talent.
It also helps to have Edouard coming out and stating how much he’s enjoying it at Parkhead (BBC). All of these events over the last week are good for the club, even if it’s delivered in a back-handed kind of way.
Edouard is only the latest in what will hopefully be a long list of top young talents to sign and develop at Parkhead from France and beyond. For all we know, it was the success of Dembele in his first season that encouraged French Eddy to sign for us on loan two years ago.
Neil has hit it right on the head. It’s tremendous for our image. Here’s hoping the big man can bag another brace next month against Azerbaijan.
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