Edouard could pay back Celtic just like van Dijk
The man who predicted an English club would make a killing by signing Virgil van Dijk from Celtic says the same will happen with Odsonne Edouard.
As West Brom’s Scottish scout, Stuart Millar spent the 2014-15 season pleading with Tony Pulis, Albion’s manager of the time, to buy the defender.
In a face-to-face meeting, he told him the Midlands club would double their money – or more – on van Dijk in a year because the EPL’S biggest clubs would rather wait to be sure they were getting the finished ar ticle than take any chances in the market.
His prediction was borne out in stunning style when the Dutchman’s eventual buyers, Southampton, sold him on to Liverpool for £ 75- million – some five times the fee they paid for him.
Former Airdrie director of football Millar now believes history is about to repeat itself with the Hoops’ freescoring Frenchman.
“I was Albion’s Scottish scout at the time, and they kept asking me to go and watch Celtic,” said Millar.
“Jason Denayer and Stefan Johansen were the players they were interested in, but Virgil van Dijk was the one who stood out.
“He was head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch, every time.
“I knew he was one who could make an impact, and gave him the strongest recommendation I could, telling Tony Pulis face-toface we had to buy him.
“I said: ‘If we do that, we will definitely double our money on him because he will just get better and better.
“Andy Thorn, the chief scout, flew up to see him play at Aberdeen – but he got sent off early on!
“So that maybe didn’t help, but for me they just didn’t fancy taking someone from Scottish football.
“Southampton, of course, showed them how wrong they were!
“I believe it will be the same for Odsonne Edouard.
“While the top clubs won’t take a chance him in the summer, as long as he shows up well in the league for a Crystal Palace or whoever, they will have no problem paying top dollar at that point.
“I guess Leicester City might be the possible exception because Brendan Rodgers knows all about Edouard.
“Even then, I think his talent is such he could still use them as a stepping stone.
“All Celtic can do is try and get as good a price as they can, and insert a sell-on clause.”