Edouard 2.0: "Seriously talented" £13m star has emerged on Celtic's radar
da 888casino： Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers wants the club to bring in new attackers to bolster his options at the top end of the pitch before the end of the summer transfer window.
da fazobetai： Speaking after the 2-0 win over Aberdeen, the boss said: “Listen, there’s no doubt that we need to reinforce the top line. There’s no doubt, I’m really pleased with where we are structurally in defensive numbers.”
He added: “But I think we need competition at the top end of the field. So, yes, for Adam, he’s a big, honest boy. He was at his best here when was really challenging with Kyogo for the position. And that is something that is important, I think, for us to get.”
This shows that the Hoops want to strengthen their options in the final third, despite winning both of their opening matches in the Scottish Premiership this season.
It will now be interesting to see where Celtic go to find reinforcements for their attack, whether they go big with a huge money signing, a player from a major league, or an unknown gem.
One of Celtic’s most successful striker signings in the last decade is Odsonne Edouard, who joined in an interesting move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
How Celtic hit gold with Odsonne Edouard
The Hoops swooped to bring the French marksman to the club for the 2017/18 campaign on an initial season-long loan, in what was not a marquee addition at the time due to his lack of first-team exposure.
Edouard had only played 17 matches at senior level, scoring one goal, on loan at Toulouse in the previous season, which meant that Celtic had not brought in an established star who looked primed to be a prolific scorer for the club.
The young marksman, though, did enjoy a successful season on loan with the Scottish giants with a return of 11 goals in 29 games in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, for the Hoops, which convinced the club to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer of 2018.
Celtic reportedly splashed out a record fee of £9m to sign Edouard after his loan came to an end, and that turned out to be money well spent by the Bhoys.
Celtic’s top scorers (all comps)
Season
Top scorer
Goals
24/25
Daizen Maeda
33
23/24
Kyogo Furuhashi
19
22/23
Kyogo Furuhashi
34
21/22
Kyogo Furuhashi
20
20/21
Odsonne Edouard
22
19/20
Odsonne Edouard
29
18/19
Odsonne Edouard
22
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, the Frenchman scored 22 goals or more in all three of his seasons at Parkhead as a permanent player, and no player has scored 20 goals or more in three successive seasons since he left.
Premier League side Crystal Palace reportedly agreed a deal worth up to £18.5m to sign the striker from Celtic in the summer of 2021, which meant that the Hoops made a significant profit on the £9m that they paid.
The Scottish giants are now reportedly looking at a potential deal to sign a player who could come in as a repeat of this Edouard masterclass, albeit in a different position.
Celtic have £13m star on their radar
According to Football Insider, Celtic and Rangers are both interested in a deal to sign AS Monaco left-back Kassoum Ouattara to bolster their respective squads.
The report claims that the Ligue 1 side are set to demand a fee of £13m to sell the player on a permanent basis, and both Scottish teams are unwilling to pay that price this summer.
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Journalist Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider: “Ouattara is somebody who has emerged on their radar. Right now, the big question mark is whether it would be a loan or a permanent deal. I think if it’s a permanent deal that Monaco are only considering, that might just be too pricy for both Rangers and Celtic.
He added: “It’s not going to be a straightforward deal for Rangers or Celtic, but it’s definitely a position both clubs are looking at as they want to strengthen their options.“
This suggests that an initial loan deal with an option or an obligation to make it permanent next year, similar to the Edouard deal, could be the route for Celtic to go down.
Why Celtic should sign Kassoum Ouattara
The Hoops should push to sign the French left-back to compete with Kieran Tierney because he is an exciting young talent who could be an Edouard repeat.
Like the former Celtic marksman, the Monaco youngster would arrive at the club on an initial loan, if that is the deal they can agree, from a Ligue 1 team after only playing 16 times at first-team level last season.
Ouattara, who was hailed as “seriously talented” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, is a player who has the potential to enjoy success at Parkhead in the same way that Edouard did, albeit in a different position.
In his limited game time in Ligue 1 during the 2024/25 campaign, the 20-year-old starlet showed great promise as an offensive option from left-back, whilst playing at a good level in one of Europe’s major leagues.
24/25 Ligue 1
Kassoum Ouattara per 90
Percentile rank vs full-backs
xA
0.29
Top 5%
Chances created
1.38
Top 17%
Successful crosses
1.62
Top 7%
Cross accuracy
41.2%
Top 9%
Successful dribbles
1.15
Top 12%
Assists
0.23
Top 9%
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, Ouattara ranked highly among his positional peers when it came to creating chances for his teammates, and getting his side up the pitch with dribbles.
These statistics suggest that the youngster would be well-suited to playing in a Celtic team that dominates games week-in-week-out, given that they have won the league in each of the last four seasons and won their first two games without conceding a goal.
This means that Ouattara would have the license to constantly bomb on and attack down the left flank, overlapping the winger, to showcase his creative qualities in the final third.
Therefore, the 20-year-old talent would have the perfect platform to show other teams what he is about to attract interest from elsewhere, which is what Edouard had when he scored 22 goals or more in three straight seasons to earn a big move to Monaco.
Celtic could, therefore, repeat their Edouard masterclass by signing Ouattara on loan before bringing him in permanently next year, with a view to him being sold on for a profit in the future.