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60 Goals In 2 Years: Who Is This French Sensation That Celtic Are Set To Sign? Everything You Need To Know

Odsonne Edouard

Scout Report – Odsonne Edouard

Celtic are on the verge of completing another loan signing this summer, as Paris Saint-Germain’s teenage striker Odsonne Edouard has confirmed that he is inching towards a move to the Celtic Park before the transfer window closes, the Scottish Sun reports. 

The Bhoys’ manager is keen on boosting his striking options before the deadline in order to mount a strong challenge in the European competitions, and continue to dominate the domestic scenes for the coming season. And with last season’s star Moussa Dembele sidelined for a few more weeks, a deal for a new forward makes total sense.

The 19-year old Edouard has carved out a great reputation for himself in Paris with his scintillating displays for PSG’s youth sides and is set to become a Celtic player now. With the transfer close to completion, here we profile the teenage sensation and look at what makes him a coveted talent.

Footballing Background 

Born on 16 January 1998, in Kourou, French Guaiana, Edouard started his career with the academy of AF Bobigny and having spotted his talent, PSG signed him up for their academy in July 2011.  

His goal-scoring prowess was on display soon after, as he top-scored for the PSG U-17 side in the 2013/14 campaign with 25 goals in 22 games, at the tender age of 15. He continued his impressive form in the following season as well, netting 22 times for the U-17s and also breaking into the U-19 squad and becoming an integral part of it in 2015. He earned the nickname “The Rocket” after his feat of scoring over 60 goals in two years for the youth sides. In January 2016, Edouard was awarded the Titi d’Or, a prize given to the best academy player of the season, voted by the supporters.

Having featured heavily for the PSG reserves in the 2015-16 season, the club offered him his first professional contract, which he signed on 27 April 2016. He was a part of the 2016-17 pre-season tour, but was loaned out to fellow Ligue1 outfit Toulouse for the rest of the season.  

The spell wasn’t an easy one for the teenager, as he managed just a single goal in 16 games and was also involved in an off-the-pitch controversy, which led to him returning back to PSG prematurely in April 2017. He has been picked as a substitute by PSG manager Unai Emery this season, but is yet to make his bow for the senior team yet. 

Edouard has represented the France national team at the U-17s, U-18s and the U-19s level. The striker was a part of the France U-17 side that won the UEFA U-17 European Championships in 2015. He was named the Golden Player of the tournament and was the top goal-scorer as well, after he amassed 8 goals in just 5 games, including a hat-trick against Germany in the finals. He made his U-19 debut in September last year and has scored 5 times in 13 games. 

Style of Play 

The 19-year old is in all sense a modern striker with abundant pace, plenty of power and strong technique to back it up. 

Standing at over 6ft 1in, Edouard is physically strong and can be an imposing presence in the opposition box. But, he is at his best when he has the ball at his feet, running at the defenders at great speed. His excellent close control of the ball, combined with some neat tricks make him a huge threat while going forward. And at such a tender age he has demonstrated great predatory instincts and has that clinical edge to his game in front of the goal, which is the most important attribute for a striker.

What Does The Future Hold? 

The move to Celtic is very much happening. Edouard has been earmarked as a special talent by people around PSG, but a difficult loan spell at Toulouse will have demonstrated that the step up to the big leagues won’t be easy.

However, in Brendan Rodgers, he will be playing under a manager who has worked great wonders with the likes of Dembele and Kieran Tierney last season, and is doing the same with Olivier Ntcham and Kristoffer Ajer this time around. There are plenty of reasons for the Celtic fans to be excited about this transfer!