Odsonne Edouard was the darling of the Celtic fans for much of his four years in Glasgow.
Thriving under Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon, Edouard repaid his hefty transfer fee with his excellent goal return, being named the club’s player of the year for the 2019-20 season.
He left to join Crystal Palace, where despite a promising start, he quickly fell out of favour. On loan at Leicester last season, he was largely in the wilderness.
He returned to France ahead of this season, joining Lens for just over £3 million. The move has gone better than anyone could’ve imagined.
Lens are sitting top of Ligue 1, ahead of European champions PSG – and it’s got ‘French Eddy’ reminiscing about his Celtic days.
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Odsonne Edouard on Lens reminding him of Celtic
Edouard has seven goals in the French top-flight, already matching his best season tally in England.
He is enjoying an attacking partnership with ex-Newcastle forward Florian Thauvin, who has earned a recall to the France squad.
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On the other hand, Edouard may switch allegiance to Haiti ahead of this summer’s World Cup. The Caribbean nation are, of course, in Scotland’s group.
But at club level, he is loving life. Known for their rowdy home atmosphere, Lens boast one of the best atmospheres in Ligue 1, and it’s reminding Edouard of his second home in Glasgow.
He said: “It’s something rare in a career. The last time I experienced something like this was at Celtic.
“With every ball, every duel won, every chance, every shot… you feel that extra energy that the crowd brings.
“The fact that they’re there from the first to the last second, it pushes you on.”
Rodgers admitted that he wasn’t targeting Edouard ahead of this season, saying he had to consider players who suited the team’s style of play.
But given how Edouard has performed in France, maybe he made the wrong call.
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Odsonne Edouard’s Celtic career
Initially brought in on loan as backup to Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths, Edouard’s Celtic career transformed in the second half of the 2017-18 season.
The Broomloan stand of Ibrox was never the same after his winner there in March, and after his derby brace at Celtic Park the next month, he was destined to be signed permanently.
The next season, he scored the goal that secured Celtic’s Treble Treble against Hearts. After that came his player-of-the-year campaign; peak Edouard, if you like.
Even in an abysmal 2020-21 campaign for the club, Edouard still finished as the league’s top scorer in his final season in Glasgow.
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