It looks as though Brendan Rodgers is looking to make a January swoop for a Celtic player in order to cover an injury crisis at Leicester City. He is looking to reinforce their form over the coming weeks and sees an opportunity to bring in the player from Parkhead.
Rodgers knows the Celtic squad well even though it’s a been while now since he left. There has been interest previously in the likes of Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor. This time the interest could be upfront in the form of a striker. Is this the right time to help him though?
Leicester City under Rodgers are still in or around the top spot in the Premier League. But their title aspirations have been hit by an injury to Jamie Vardy. He is likely to be out for a few weeks due to a hernia operation. It’s not only that gap though, long-term cover and succession planning means the Foxes will be on the lookout for a striker sooner or later.
Odsonne Edouard is believed to be on Rodgers’ radar for that reason. The Glasgow Live, amongst many, covers the story. Edouard’s form hasn’t been brilliant for Celtic this season, but his performances for France Under 21s with 15 goals in 10 games have kept him as one of the most exciting young talents in Europe.
Maybe the timing is right, though many Hoops fans will not want to do Rodgers any favours given they way he left the club. Edouard’s price will have dipped, due to form and the football financial situation generally due to the global pandemic. With his contract running down, any likely fee is on a diminishing trend too.
It felt critical that he was retained in the summer to bolster the 10IAR effort, but that’s washed away now and he has not made enough of a difference in games anyway. Selling an out of from forward now, rather than at the end of the season, would not probably have an impact on Celtic’s already erratic form and results. It’s far less likely now to be a season changing sale for the club.
If Rodgers has an urgent need and Edouard fits the gap then perhaps there is a little more negotiating strength for Celtic in terms of a transfer fee. There could also be a hefty sell on fee built into the contract, which would be very wise for the future.
The cash in now may well help finance some future changes, or even fund a new quality manager. As a wild rumour based example, would fans support the sale of Edouard now, even if to Rodgers, if the fee helped fund an approach for Rafa Benitez as manager? Most would probably say yes to that.
If there is a prospect of a sale now for Edouard at a decent price with a good sell on clause negotiated, then whether it’s Rodgers or elsewhere, it may well be a sensible move for the club and probably the player too.