Edouard: I want to be here for 10 in a row Arsenal target keen to stay at Parkhead to seal historic title
CHIEF FOOTBALL WRITER
ODSONNE EDOUARD last night revealed he wants to remain at Celtic and help the Parkhead club complete 10-In-A-Row next season after being named Scottish Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year for 2020.
French striker Edouard scored 28 goals in all competitions in the 2019/20 season as Neil Lennon’s men won the Ladbrokes Premiership for the ninth season running and lifted the Betfred Cup.
The 22-year-old, who cost a record £9million fee when he joined from Paris SaintGermain in 2018, is sure to be targeted by clubs across Europe this summer despite the financial uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 outbreak and football shutdown.
But the forward, who is under contract until 2022 and is in talks about improved terms, admitted last night that he would like to stay in Glasgow and help Celtic make history next term.
Asked if he would like to be part of the 10-In-A-Row bid, Edouard said: “Of course, winning 10-in-a-row is very important for the club, the players and the fans. Of course I would love to be part of it. No-one knows what will happen in the future, but I want to be a part of it.
“At the moment, I am still under contract with Celtic and my priority is to get back playing again. In the future, we will see what happens.
“My first target right now is to play football again after so much time away from the pitch. I actually only set personal targets for myself once the season actually starts.”
Arsenal are the latest club to be linked with a move for Edouard, but the player is, after two seasons of speculation surrounding his future, unconcerned.
He returned to training at Lennoxtown this week with several of his Celtic team mates for the first time since football was suspended back in March and is focusing on preparing for the start of the season in August.
“It shows you are working hard and doing the right things as a player,” he said. “It is flattering. But I just concentrate on trying to play well for Celtic. That’s what I am focused on at the moment.”