Celtic are taking a look at Kyle Edwards’ wage demands before deciding whether or not to offer him a contract, the Daily Record reports.
Edwards is currently on trial with Championship side Reading after his contract with West Bromwich Albion came to an end.
Celtic were first reported to be interested by Football Insider, who claimed the Hoops had opened talks with the player’s representatives. However, fast forward a week and progress appears to have been minimal. Now, the Record believes Celtic are focusing on whether they want to meet his wage demands.
In the meantime, Edwards is plying his trade with Reading on a trial basis. He played in yesterday’s friendly against Lincoln City. However, no decision has yet been made on the player’s long-term future.
Edwards only played eight times for WBA last season, and is a former England under-20 international, playing his last match at international level back in November 2019.
Celtic move for Kyle Edwards would be all about reinvigorating a career
At 23, it’s no longer about potential with Edwards. Whilst he leaves West Brom with just under 50 appearances to his name, his stats for a winger at lower-league level in England aren’t spectacular.
Indeed, Edwards only has four goals and five assists from his time with West Brom [Transfermarkt].
In fairness to him, he has some promising attributes. He’s a direct winger and can play on either flank as well as centrally. His versatility is certainly one of the more impressive attributes he has.
But we wouldn’t be getting a player in form. It’s not as if Edwards had been playing on a weekly basis with WBA and is deciding to move on to pastures new. West Brom simply haven’t extended his deal.
So it would be about picking a player up who hasn’t been playing regularly since the 2019/20 season. There’s no denying we’ve had success going down that route in the past, but it could all be dependent on wages regardless.
We’ll see whether Celtic close out a deal on this one. But with Edwards down with Reading, the early signs are ominous.
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