A huge rebuild is on the cards at Paradise this summer, with Odsonne Edouard, Ryan Christie and Kristoffer Ajer expected to leave. There will be plenty of cash available to spend on new recruits, however the main challenge is recruiting the right players to replace the stalwarts that have served Celtic so well over the years.
With Patryk Klimala leaving, Leigh Griffiths and Albian Ajeti not firing on the cylinders that Celtic expected them to and first-choice Edouard most likely departing Glasgow, there is a desire to buy at least a couple of strikers to fill the void. One such name that has been linked is Liverpool’s Taiwo Awoniyi – a man who has spent the last two seasons on loan in Germany.
Awoniyi, 23, had spent his time at loan on Stuttgart and Union Berlin respectively – however, despite having succeeded there for the last two years, Liverpool haven’t been able to play him due to work permit regulations. The forward is up for sale having gained his eligibility, with The Liverpool Echo stating the forward would cost between £8-10m for any potential suitors.
A striker blessed with power and pace, he has scored five goals in the Bundesliga this year – not showing the clinicalness he has in the past.
Yet, speaking to Football FanCast, German football expert Daniel Pinder said: “I haven’t seen much of Edouard play, but looking at his stats, he scores plenty of goals, and I think Awoniyi could get the goals, but he needs the right players around him as he has at Union Berlin this season. If you look at his form for Union Berlin pre-injury, he is a player that could potentially get 15-20 goals in Scotland.”
