da 888： After Celtic’s latest strong financial report, supporters know that the club are in a great position heading into the summer transfer window. The Hoops arguably have more resources than they’ve ever had to spend smartly in the market, even as fees balloon across Europe in the biggest leagues.
da aviator aposta： The club of course will not be reckless with their spending, the days of attracting debt are long behind them, focusing more on a sustainable selling model of buying low, developing talent and letting them leave for cash-rich clubs in the English Premier League.
However, there’s a chance they could break their reported record transfer fee over the next 12 months, one which has stood since the days Martin O’Neill manned the touchline at Celtic Park when the club shelled out £6m for both Chris Sutton and John Hartson.
One option to do that is Odsonne Edouard, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain with an option to buy. That option is reported to cost £7m, which would clearly make him the most expensive player to ever sign permanently for the club.
However, that’s not something they should be pursuing and here are THREE reasons why…
Celtic need more end product, less potential
Odsonne Edouard hasn’t been a terrible Celtic signing by any means and with injuries and off-field issues having an effect on the likes of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths this season, he’s been a key third man to fill in when need be.
However, he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire at Celtic Park either. He’s scored just six times in 18 appearances and just once in his last eight Scottish Premiership matches. It’s not exactly the kind of form that makes you think the Hoops should rush out buy him, especially at the reported fee of £7m.
With their transfer model, the Hoops have to strike a balance between potential and end product and at this point of his career, Edouard leans too much towards the former.
If they signed him for that kind of money and he produced similar form over the next 18 months, it’s unlikely that Celtic would be able to recoup their outlay, going against everything they’ve held dear in recent seasons.
Even if Moussa Dembele leaves, Celtic have a better option
Even if Moussa Dembele leaves the club this summer, which is a distinct possibility given all the transfer reports about him in recent months, Odsonne Edouard still wouldn’t be the strongest striker at Celtic.
That would of course fall to the ever-reliable Leigh Griffiths who, despite sometimes lacking opportunities, remains a consistent goalscoring force at the Hoops.
The Scottish international is set to reach 100 career goals at Celtic before the end of the season, should he return from injury smoothly, meaning he would be the first player to do that at the club since John Hartson.
Why invest a significant sum in Edouard when they already have a better option in attack? It makes little sense from any angle, despite the potential he may hold.
The Hoops need to focus resources on their shaky defence
Celtic’s attack is actually the least of their problems right now and any resources the Hoops have in the transfer market should be diverted on attracting quality to enhance their defensive line and provide depth to positions that are stretched thin.
The Hoops badly need a quality, experienced centre-back to ease their problems at the back and even in positions they already have quality in, like left-back, they lack proper back-up, with Kieran Tierney having to start almost every match this season, which is less than ideal given the quantity the club have to play.
Their problems at the back aren’t going to be solved overnight and it’s an impossibility to guarantee stability at European level, but Celtic at least need to give themselves a fighting chance at that level and investment in their back four would undoubtedly enhance their chances of better results on the continent.