Kris Commons doesn't think Albian Ajeti signing will lead to Odsonne Edouard's Celtic exit

By David Walton

August 17, 2020

Former Celtic attacker Kris Commons has stated his belief that Albian Ajeti’s arrival doesn’t signal a departure for Odsonne Edouard.

Celtic splashed out £5m to bring Ajeti to Parkhead from West Ham United last week (Sky Sports). Neil Lennon then spoke about the prospect of pairing the new Bhoy with French superstar Edouard (Celtic TV).

It leaves Celtic with four big-hitting strikers who will be looking to play on a weekly basis. Edouard, Ajeti, Leigh Griffiths, and Patryk Klimala will all have their eyes on regular minutes.

New Celtic signing Albian Ajeti (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)

However, Commons doesn’t think that Ajeti has been signed as a direct replacement for Celtic’s current number one centre-forward.

Speaking in his Scottish Daily Mail column (17/08, The Verdict, Page 12), Commons said: “The season is already underway. If they were of a mind to cash-in on Edouard, they’d have done it six weeks ago to give themselves time to find a suitable replacement.

“The signing of Albian Ajeti changes nothing in that respect. Despite the £5m fee, there’s no way he’s been bought as a direct replacement for Edouard.

“You don’t replace one of the best young strikers in Europe with a boy who was warming the bench at West Ham last season. That’s not to necessarily to say that Ajeti isn’t a good player, but the reality is he’s not on the same level as Edouard.”

Difficult to share Commons’ optimism

It’s easy to agree with Commons’ view that Celtic shouldn’t be selling their best players once the season starts. However, it’s been done on plenty of occasions before.

Celtic sold Moussa Dembele to Lyon just days before the first Glasgow derby of the season back in the 2018/19 season. Kieran Tierney, meanwhile, was allowed to leave for Arsenal on transfer deadline day last year.

Just because the season has started, it’s not as if Celtic are immune to selling their best talents. Remember, many leagues around Europe haven’t even started back for pre-season yet. So trading across the continent is bound to pick up.

Odsonne Edouard celebrates scoring for Celtic / (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

We also have to take into account that it’s highly likely our replacement for Edouard won’t be on the same level as the Frenchman anyway. Ajeti has the profile and pedigree of a striker we would bring in to replace Eddy when he departs. A talented player with a point to prove.

Thankfully, there are no signs of Edouard departing just yet. Especially not with the manager talking him and Swiss forward Ajeti.

But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Celtic over the years it’s that business is never over until deadline day has passed.

In other news, Djurgardens sporting director Bosse Andersson has some concerns about how UEFA handled his side’s draw with Celtic.