James McFadden has slammed the suggestion that Odsonne Edouard isn’t showing commitment to Celtic this summer.
Edouard is into the final year of his contract and has been underperforming in large spells over the last 12 months. The Frenchman has started the season slowly with only one goal in five competitive games. That came in the 6-0 rout of Dundee after he bagged a late penalty.
Transfer speculation has been surrounding the player this summer too. Roma have today been the latest club to be linked with a potential move [Forza Roma]. Brighton and Southampton, meanwhile, have also been linked with potential bids [Scottish Sun].
Therefore, unsurprisingly, many have linked his poor displays with the idea that he wants out of the club. But speaking live on Sportsound after Celtic battered Dundee, McFadden brushed off any notion he isn’t showing the right levels of commitment to the football club:
“It’s ending in a way that people maybe didn’t expect, but talking about his commitment – he’s sitting on the bench. He could easily say he’s got a problem and doesn’t want to be involved on the bench.
“He’s still there. He’s out on the pitch now doing extra training with the rest of the subs and some of the squad members that weren’t involved.
“So I think it’s an easy one to say that a player’s not committed. Yes, you’re maybe not seeing the best of him for many reasons that could be. But he’s still making himself available, still sitting on the bench, still coming on and showing that he wants to score. He had a great effort and steps up to take the penalty. He’s arguing with Abada because he wants to be on the scoresheet. So at the minute, he’s committed Celtic.”
Odsonne Edouard needs to show Celtic fans that he wants to make an impact
It’s difficult to identify what’s happened to Edouard. We know he isn’t performing at the standards we know he’s capable of. We saw a different player under Brendan Rodgers and initially under Neil Lennon.
Since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, however, he’s been all over the place. He consistently breaks down attacks by running into opposition forwards whilst he at times is too easily bullied off the ball.
When Edouard was in his prime in a Celtic jersey, these weren’t issues you would associate with him. He had no problem making an impact in the final third. His feet, at times, were genuinely like magic wands with the space he would create for himself and others.
But all of that has disappeared. No surprise then that his goal rate has also dropped massively. He may have bagged 22 in total last season. However, the year before that he netted 28 in a season that was curtailed in March [Transfermarkt]. We know what he’s capable of, and he isn’t producing.
It’s easy to say he isn’t interested. However, there are also reasons to believe that isn’t the truth. Outside of what McFadden has mentioned above, Edouard is consistently dropping deep to pick up possession. He’s trying to get involved in the game, but nothing is coming off.
Perhaps it’s a confidence crisis. Whatever the reason, the striker needs to start proving to fans that he wants to make an impact. As things stand, his stock is dropping and fast.
In other news, Kyle Edwards confirms Ipswich Town move after summer Celtic speculation
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