Why Aston Villa should make a move for in-form finisher Odsonne Edouard
According to The Sun (h/t Birmingham Mail), Aston Villa have contacted Celtic regarding the availability of their striker Odsonne Edouard.
The 22-year-old has attracted a lot of clubs in Europe after his goal-scoring exploits helped Celtic win their ninth consecutive Scottish Premiership title last season.
Edouard scored a whopping 27 goals across all competitions for the Scottish giants last season and also won the award for the leading goalscorer in the league. Despite arriving from PSG in 2018, Edouard has already bagged 40 goals in 48 Scottish Premier League starts, giving a clear picture of his talent.
Having proved his potential as a consistent goalscorer in such a short duration, Premier League sides such as Aston Villa, Arsenal and Leicester City are now keen on signing the Frenchman.
Aston Villa need a consistent goalscorer like Edouard
Meanwhile, manager Dean Smith’s Aston Villa are on the lookout for a prolific finisher after ending the season as one of the Premier League’s lowest scorers. They scored just 41 goals from their overall 38 league games, which saw them finish one spot above the relegation zone.
Villa, who just returned to the top-flight last summer, are in clear need of some reinforcements in their attack and have identified Edouard as a suitable addition. However, with interest mounting on him from every side, Celtic value him at £40million, meaning he won’t be a cheap buy for Villa.
The Villans had last summer roped in Brazilian striker Wesley but he only managed five goals in 21 league games. To add to their miseries, Wesley suffered a serious knee injury in January that ruled him out for the rest of the season, forcing Villa to sign Mbwana Samatta as a back-up from Belgian side Genk.
Samatta, on the other hand, has found it difficult to adjust to the new surroundings in England, scoring just once in 14 Premier League games. Villa also have academy graduate Keinan Davis in their ranks but the youngster is yet to open his account in the Premier League.
Hence, it is clear that Villa are in clear need of a consistent goal-scorer if they wish to better their displays next season and the club’s interest in Edouard makes complete sense. They should, therefore, not hesitate to sign him even if it costs them big.
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Verdict
It is evident that Villa lack a proven goalscorer in their ranks and who better than Edouard, who has proved himself in just two years at Celtic. Moreover, he is just 22 and could go on to become the player to lead their attack in the coming days. Given Villa’s current situation, the in-form Frenchman could prove to be the answer to their attacking woes.