ODSONNE EDOUARD has been given the ultimate compliment that any Celtic striker could possibly receive. The French striker has been compared to Celtic legend Henrik Larsson by the legendary Celtic manager Martin O’Neill and frankly after having to endure a three of four days listening to the drivel from John Barnes, it’s nice to hear from MON as a respected former Celtic gaffer, a manager who knew how to do the job.
Speaking on the BBC Sportsound Podcast Martin O’Neill, who replaced the failed Barnes and Dalglish experiment twenty years ago this month, was asked if Odsonne Edouard was as important to Celtic as Henrik Larsson was for O’Neill’s Celtic side.
“Of course, yes,” Martin O’Neill answered. “In my five years there we didn’t have Henrik for the final year and you’re always trying to make do.
“It’s very important to hold on to your best players, because these are the ones that will win matches for you. They will turn the tide for you if games are even or if you’re losing with 20 minutes to go.
“You know when the likes of Larsson is still on the field you still have a chance of winning that game. And that is exactly now the situation Neil finds himself in.”
O’Neill is mindful of the status that will be afforded to Neil Lennon should the current Celtic manager achieve the magical Ten next spring.
“Neil has done both; he’s done it as a player and as a manager. He deserves to take his place among the legends of Celtic.
Lenny himself has been looking forward to making a mark on European football with this Celtic side and only then will he accept as valid any comparisons with the likes of Jock Stein and O’Neill as manager’s who led Celtic to European finals.
“To come back after Brendan went to Leicester, he was coming into a totally different set-up, a different philosophy, and he had to win those games from day one,” MON said. “He’s done that exceptionally well. Now he’s set his sights on European football. Of course that’s very important, but if he clinches 10-in-a-row – which he has a good chance of doing – that would be fantastic.
“He’s very much an iconic figure at Celtic Park and that might not be sufficient for Neil, but the fans would be absolutely ecstatic about it.”
Larsson stayed at Celtic for seven years and has never regretted his time in Glasgow. In comparison Odsonne Edouard has had an initial season on loan from PSG before signing a four year deal two years ago. In that time Moussa Dembele left the club to return to France to play for Lyon and Edouard assumed the vacant role as the main striker at the club.
Such has been his contribution to the Celtic cause that he is regarded as a talisman by the support and if he hangs around long enough will be up there with the greatest strikers of them all in Celtic’s long, impressive and unbroken history.
News broke at the weekend that Odsonne is prepared to sign a contract extension and will be here for the 10-in-a-Row season at the very least but whether he’ll stick around longer is another matter altogether. Sadly Celtic has little chance of competing with the likes of the English Premier League when it comes to the money on offer – just look at the astonishing wages that former Celtic Star Virgil Van Dijk is now on at Champions Elect Liverpool!
So while Edouard’s time at Celtic is likely to be four years and not the seven years of service that he world class striker Henrik Larsson gave us, the message should be to enjoy Odsonne while he’s here and hungry for Ten-in-a-Row!
You can listen to the latest BBC Sportsound Podcast HERE.
