John Collins tells Celtic to cash in on wantaway Odsonne Edouard

Former Celtic midfielder John Collins has told the club to sell Odsonne Edouard as soon as possible or else face losing him on a free. The 53-year-old was on Celtic TV duty last night as Ange Postecoglou brushed aside FK Jablonec 3-0 but Collins told presenter Connie McLaughlin that he thinks the club need to prioritise selling Edouard.

The Frenchman has just a year remaining on his deal and it had been expected that he would depart this summer; however, interest appears to have cooled in the former PSG striker. Brighton, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Leicester have been tipped as potential destinations for the attacker but talk of a move has calmed down in recent weeks.

Collins believes that the club will be scouting alternatives, with Thomas Henry touted with a move, but the club should be focusing on selling Edouard or face losing him for free.

“I think there’s no doubt that the recruitment department and the manager will be looking for a new number nine.

“They’ll be scouring Europe, probably Japan, because the likelihood is Edouard will go.

“There’s no point keeping a player who doesn’t really want to be here.

“He is not 100% focused and there’s an opportunity to get some decent money for him, because if they don’t sell him now then they’re going to get nothing for him.”

Photo: Jeff Holmes

Edouard was signed in 2017 for £9m and has scored 87 goals for the club, impressing along the way in all competitions. However, losing him on a free would be hard to take considering the interest that the club had in him last season.

The ex-Celtic Assistant Manager has been at the heart of his own transfer saga, having left the club in controversial circumstances back in 1996 when he left on a free transfer for Monaco. Collins joined Celtic in 1994 for £1m. During what were dark times, McStay and Collins were a bright spark in the central midfield for Celtic but sadly in that period only had a Scottish Cup in ’95 to show for his efforts.

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Born just as Celtic were stopping the Ten, Lubo98 follows Celtic home and away and helps run his local Celtic Supporters Club. He goes to all the games and is a Law Graduate. Has a particular fondness for Tom Rogic among the current Celts and both Lubo and Henrik form his earliest Celtic memories.

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