Odsonne Edouard – at his best – has the tools to be a huge hit for Crystal Palace in the Premier League

BY EDMUND BRACK

Odsonne Edouard dominated Scottish football and won the admiration of Celtic fans. He concluded his time at Celtic Park with 88 goals in 179 appearances, lifting three Scottish Premiership title and four domestic trophies, and even picked up the SFWA Footballer of the Year 2019-20 as the league’s top scorer.

The 23-year-old’s eye-catching performances have had the Eagles tracking Edouard since November 2019, with Tuesday’s deadline day signing finally earning his move to Selhurst Park in an initial £14million deal that could rise to £18m with add-ons.

Penning a four-year deal with the South Londoners, Edouard became Patrick Vieira’s seventh summer signing and must now set about becoming the primary source of goals for the French World Cup winner’s side in the Premier League.

“He should cope very well,” is the verdict of Mark Wilson, a sports writer for the Scottish Daily Mail, when asked about the footballing leap that Edouard is about to make.

“The key thing for Palace will be if they can get the Odsonne Edouard of the 2019-20 season when he was playing some of his very best football at Celtic. That was a guy who looked every inch an English Premier League striker. He certainly has all the attributes to do it.

“There is no doubt that there is going to be a step up in terms of the physicality and intensity of Premier League games. His scoring record for Celtic in Europe and the French U21s strongly suggests this is a guy who is more than capable of being a very good Premier League striker, if Patrick Vieira can get into his mind and draw out that peak form that we saw two seasons ago.

“There is no question that Edouard, at his best, was a fantastic top-tier striker – as was shown by the interest he collected at one point when the likes of Milan, Napoli and Roma all looked at him.

“Brendan Rodgers’ admiration was such that they tried to do a deal earlier this summer, and it seems the structure and the cost of that deal eventually put Leicester off, and they went for Patson Daka instead.”

Although Edouard contributed a goal or an assist every 99 minutes in the Scottish top-flight last season, his performances significantly dipped, with the French forward seeking a fresh challenge and a new environment in which to test himself in.

Wilson explains why Edouard may have looked a shadow of his former self last season: “Neil Lennon, who was in charge for most of last season, recently expressed his belief that Edouard wanted to leave at the start of last season and that he felt as if he was ready to move on from Celtic.

“That was something that Celtic resisted at the time because the pursuit of the 10th successive title was so important to the club, which obviously didn’t happen. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest that the fact Edouard wanted to leave, according to Lennon, and the fact that he didn’t, impacted his performance levels.

“He still finished the season with 22 goals. However, there was unquestionably a dip, and most people would put it down to the fact that perhaps his race had been run at Celtic to some extent.

“Then Edouard, similar to many individuals at Celtic, was caught up in the club’s collective decline in form for most of last season. It would be wrong to single him out solely as underperforming – he was one of many at Celtic who did.”

After arriving on an initial loan spell to Celtic from Paris Saint Germain, Edouard, who was just 20 at the time, scored 11 goals in 29 appearances, forcing Rodgers’ side to pay out a then club-record fee of £9m.

When Moussa Dembele left for Lyon, Edouard stepped up to become the reliable goal threat for the Hoops, scoring 22 goals to fire Celtic to their third domestic treble in a row.

Wilson said: “From his first permanent season onwards, the growth in him was huge. Rodgers always spoke about him being a very laid-back guy – very cool. He finished like a much older player; there was a calmness to his game.

“The movement and the quickness of his feet was incredible. He wasn’t a massive scorer of headed goals, but he does bring a physical presence. You saw him becoming a bigger personality and a very influential player in the way Celtic played when he became a permanent Celtic player.

“After Moussa Dembele left, it was almost like a managed transition, and Odsonne Edouard filled the huge gap left by Dembele extremely well. In those first two seasons, he was outstanding.

“You don’t play for the U21 team of the world champions as much as he did, and score as frequently as he did, without being a guy of immense potential. If Vieira can unlock that full potential, it could be an incredibly exciting signing for Palace.”

PICTURES: PPAUK / Dan Weir for CPFC