Well done Rodgers – Celtic have made the best use of PSG’s situation to complete this £9m record signing

Why Celtic have made the best use of PSG’s situation to Odsonne Edouard

Scottish giants Celtic have completed a record £9m deal for Paris Saint-Germain forward Odsonne Edouard.

PSG have been reportedly told to raise £52m by 30th June to balance their books. However, the French champions have avoided punishment from the UEFA after being cleared in a Financial Fair Play investigation. But they must gain £52m in the next two weeks to avoid punishments for this past season.

Considering PSG’s desperate need to raise money to comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations, Celtic’s interest in turning Eduoard’s loan deal into a permanent one couldn’t have been better timed.

The 20-year-old spent the last season loan with the Bhoys, scoring nine goals and providing two assists in 22 league games. Edouard became a fan favourite at Celtic due to his work-rate and commitment.

He ended the campaign strongly with some exciting displays towards the back end of the season. In total, he found the back of the net 11 times in 29 appearances across all competitions for the Scottish giants.

However, the youngster initially struggled to make a persistent impact at Celtic Park, despite having scored and assisted a goal each on his debut against Hamilton last September.

But after a lean patch, Edouard started finding his feet under manager Brendan Rodgers. Soon the forward regained his confidence and scoring touch and became a Celtic hero, following his goals against Rangers.

Edouard scored the winner in the 3-2 comeback triumph at Ibrox in March before netting two goals and providing an assist in the 5-0 win in the Old Firm derby at Parkhead in April. He was effective in front of the goal for Celtic as he ably used his physical gifts to get him into good shooting positions consistently.

The French youth international stepped up his game in the absence of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths, who were out injured, and established himself as a constant performer for the Scottish outfit.

He was an intimidating figure and constantly proved to be a handful for the opposition defenders. A very good dribbler of the ball, the starlet impressed largely and proved himself to be a calm finisher too.

Having done admirably well on loan at Celtic, Rodgers has wasted no time in signing Edouard on a permanent basis. In every sense, Edouard could prove to be worth all the money Celtic have spent on him.