Why there’s no need for Celtic to fear growing interest in Odsonne Edouard

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The Odsonne Edouard transfer news seems to have been in overdrive for a while now.

Over the weekend it was Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace who were reportedly interested (Scottish Sun). Before that, the Daily Record listed five European clubs who were also apparently keen on the Frenchman. These included Lazio, Roma, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, and Lyon respectively.

Yes, he certainly has his pick of clubs if reports are to be believed. It’s difficult to avoid the image of them all circling in on Eddy and brushing us aside as they battle for our man.

However, it’s not necessarily a case of a club just submitting a bid and he’s theirs. Celtic fans have absolutely no need to be fearful here, regardless of how many clubs are linked between now and January.

First off, Neil Lennon has already categorically stated that Eddy won’t be sold in January (The Herald). If Lennon is saying that, it should be final. The board will surely do everything they can to make sure that’s the case.

Edouard’s stance also helps Celtic’s position

In addition to that, Edouard hasn’t been making noises about going. It would be much more difficult for Celtic to hold onto French Eddy if he was unhappy at the club, or giving out soundbites to the French media about leaving. But that hasn’t been the case. In fact, it’s been the total opposite (Scottish Sun).

Going by the amount of clubs interested, you could also be forgiven for thinking that Edouard was in the last year of his deal or 18 months of his deal. That’s far from the case. Celtic managed to tie him down to a contract until the summer of 2022 (CelticFC.net). There couldn’t be any less pressure to sell him.

And if the club do indeed decide to sell him in the summer, are we really going to believe that his replacement won’t already have been identified? Celtic will likely be planning for the day Eddy goes, just like they did with Moussa Dembele’s departure in 2018. Edouard came in right before Dembele left. Celtic covered themselves well, and you would fancy them to do the same with Eddy’s replacement.

This is effectively the goal when Celtic sign players like Edouard. Get them tied down for the long-term, watch them blossom, and then attract interest in order to receive big-money.

This has been our model for years, so it’s nothing to be scared of. Celtic couldn’t be in a stronger position when it comes to Edouard’s situation. As supporters, that’s all we can really ask for.