Edouard to stick with Celtic despite Napoli talk
ODSONNE EDOUARD last night stated he wants to remain at Celtic and help them win a record-equalling ninth consecutive Scottish title this season after another of Europe’s major clubs was tipped to make a £30million move for him.
Edouard, inset, who yesterday received the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month award for August, is reported to have attracted the attention of Italian giants Napoli.
The former Paris Saint-Germain youth striker has also been linked with Monaco, Atalanta, Sampdoria and Borussia Dortmund in the past season.
The 21-year-old, who cost Celtic a club record £9m fee when they signed him from PSG last summer, admitted he had been flattered to be linked with the Serie A outfit.
But the the player, who has scored six goals for the Parkhead club in all competitions in the 2019/20 campaign and netted four goals in two appearances for the French Under-21 side this month, is under contract until 2022.
And as Neil Lennon’s side prepared to play their opening Europa League group match against Rennes in his homeland on Thursday evening he stressed he is committed to helping the Glasgow club achieve more continental and domes t ic success in the coming months.
“Each player has his own career, his own path,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, at the moment I am here, I’ve got a long contract, I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. So I just want to keep making sure I enjoy playing for Celtic. And then we’ll see what happens. There is no plan, if you like.
“I really like it here, I actually really like the city, it is a great city. I feel I have adapted well. I really enjoy being in Scotland, I like playing football here. There is not much to say.”
Asked if he was aware of the clubs who were rumoured to be interested in signing him, Edouard added: “Of course, you do pay attention – because it’s a sign that you’re playing well. That’s important.
“But, again, at the moment I’m 100 per cent focused on Celtic. There is a long season ahead so the priority has to be that you concentrate on what you do now, not what may happen in the future.
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We still have this season to come and we’ll see what happens at the end of it. Then we can talk about what might happen after that. We’ll see how it goes.
“Will I be here for that? I have a long contract so we’ll see.
“Of course, I’m very aware of how important this is for Celtic. This is my third season here so I have been part of this adventure and I want to be part of it because it’s really important for me as well to achieve that.
“Obviously, the target for us as a group is to finish in the top two [of Group E] so that we can move on to the knock-out phase; that’s the key. Personally, it’s very simple – I want to have good matches, score goals and help the team.”
Edouard is convinced he can improve on his early season performances.
“I’m in good form, but not the best of my life,” he said. “There is still more to come.
“I’m playing well because the team is playing well. The important thing for me now is to carry on from