Arsenal are keen on signing Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard this summer. The French striker has been in spectacular form for the Scottish side since signing for them in 2018, scoring 81 goals in 163 appearances.
As per The Telegraph, the Gunners could make a move for Edouard, as a long-term replacement for current striker Alexandre Lacazette.
Arsenal have reportedly tracked the young French striker for a long time. The report states that Leicester City is also interested in signing the 23-year-old, who has just one year remaining on his Celtic contract.
Edouard came through the ranks at PSG and played for the B team and moved to Celtic in 2018. He has won three Scottish league titles in his four seasons with Celtic.
Odsonne Edouard – The player Arsenal need?
Arsenal are currently going through a transitional phase under manager Mikel Arteta, and the Spanish manager has made a few changes to the way the team has set up. Arteta’s managerial tenure with the Gunners has seen a few ups and downs, but he needs to do a lot of work for Arsenal to be competitive in the league once again.
Arsenal’s first-choice strikers, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, haven’t scored consistently this season, with the former scoring 13 and the latter scoring just nine goals in the league this season. This isn’t good enough for a club of Arsenal’s calibre, who have ambitions of being in the top four.
Last night, Odsonne Édouard became the top scorer in the history of the France U21s with 16 goals. pic.twitter.com/Z8RNOin5dS
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) March 29, 2021
The Gunners may have to buy a new striker in the summer as they have to make a decision regarding the future Lacazette. The Frenchman will have just one year on his Gunners contract in the summer, which could prompt Arsenal to sell him and bring in a replacement.
The signing of Odsonne Edouard would be a huge gamble by the North London club. The 23-year-old has excelled at Celtic, scoring bucket loads of goals, thanks to his speed, strength and consistency in front of goal.
The 6’2″ Edouard can brush aside defenders and blast past them with his pace to trouble the opposition goal. He is a player that has developed rapidly at Celtic over the last few years.
But, it will be interesting to see how he makes the transition to the Premier League, which is a far stronger competition than the Scottish league. On paper, he has all the qualities to excel in the Premier League, but thrusting him straight into the starting XI could work against Arsenal.
Odsonne Edouard could benefit from playing second fiddle to Aubameyang and has to be given time to bed into the team as well as the Premier League before he is unleashed fully. The Frenchman is young and could develop into a top-quality player in the years to come.