Odsonne Edouard has established himself as one of the players in the Scottish League (Getty Images)
According to The Mirror, Leeds United are plotting an ambitious move for Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard in the summer.
Edouard, 22, started his career with AF Bobigny before joining Paris Saint-Germain’s youth system in 2011. Having come through the ranks at PSG, he struggled to break into the French Champions’ senior set-up and was sent on loan to Toulouse and Celtic initially.
After impressing with 11 goals in his loan spell with the Hoops, his move was made permanent in the summer of 2018. Since then, he has gone on to established himself in Scotland and has also caught the attention of several Premier League teams. The striker is in a rich vein of form, having helped his side to the league title.
With the season coming to an end and Leeds on the brink of getting promoted, Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa needs to strengthen his squad for the next campaign. And if they are to sustain in the top-flight, reinforcements should be brought in.
The manager should focus on strengthening the centre-forward position. Patrick Bamford is the only main striker available at the manager’s disposal. The former Chelsea man, despite scoring 15 goals, hasn’t been consistent throughout the campaign. And there has been no competition for him within the squad.
Jean-Kevin Augustin was signed in January on loan but the Frenchman failed to live up to the expectations, whilst also struggling with injuries. He has already left the club after the Whites chose not to extend his stay until the end of the season.
Other forwards in the squad are Tyler Roberts and Jay-Roy Grot. Roberts is just 21 and cannot be depended upon for an entire Premier League campaign and the 20-year-old Grot just returned from his loan spell. Thus, signing a proven striker in the summer would be a wise decision by the club.
In that regard, signing Edouard would be a massive boost. The Frenchman scored 22 goals last season in all competitions for the Hoops, with 14 of them coming in the league alone. He continued that fine form in the 2019/20 season by racking up 21 goals in 27 league games, while also setting up 12 assists.
A lethal striker, Edouard could be a valuable addition to Bielsa’s squad if he is able to replicate the same form he has shown so far. He is the Scottish Premiership’s top scorer and has scored an impressive 60 goals in 126 appearances for Celtic. He would definitely provide Leeds with the much-needed quality upfront.
It is clear that Leeds are in dire need of strikers, given the lack of options in their attacking unit. And Edouard could just be the one to bolster their attack, especially as he is in good nick. Thus, they should make a move for the prolific Frenchman this summer.
