If Celtic are looking for a long-term replacement for Odsonne Edouard this January then they need look no further than Tino Kadewere.
Frenchman Edouard is widely expected to depart Parkhead at the end of the season with a number of elite European clubs likely to be in for him. Edouard, himself, arrived as a pre-replacement for compatriot Moussa Dembele in 2017. When Dembele left for Lyon a year later, Edouard was ready to fill the space he left behind.
And that’s a model that the club should follow again with Edouard’s replacement. If we’re honest Vakoun Issouf Bayo isn’t going to be that man. That’s not to say that the Ivorian can’t have a decent career in Glasgow – but he’s never going to be our talisman at home and in Europe.
Enter Tino Kadewere.
Why Kadewere would be a good signing for Celtic
The Zimbabwean is a couple of years older than Edouard, but still at the relatively tender age of 23. He currently plays for Ligue 2 oufit Le Havre and is the leading scorer in the league this season with 11 goals in 12 matches.
Prior to his move to the French side he played for the Swedes Djurgardens where he enjoyed a scoring record of about one in every three matches.
Given the side that he’s currently playing for you reckon that Kadewere would be available this January for about £6million or so. Yes, that may seem like a healthy outlay for a player who’s yet to prove himself at a good level but the truth is that we must always take some sort of risk with our signings.
Both Dembele and Edouard were risks, but calculated ones that went on to become worthwhile investments. Kadewere shares a lot of their traits, being a similar sized striker who likes to score goals.
Of course we’re not suggesting that there’s any sort of genuine interest from the club at present. This is purely speculation about who we should be looking at.
But with Edouard likely to move on in the next year or so, you really hope we are considering contingency plans.
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