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Former Celt “not convinced” £40m rated star could be Premier League success

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Former Celtic striker, Charlie Nicholas, has revealed what club he feels is the most likely destination for Odsonne Edouard should the Parkhead club decide to cash-in on their star man.

Speaking on Sky Sports (via The Daily Record), Nicholas doubts the 22-year old’s ability to be an instant hit for another of his old clubs, Arsenal, given recent speculation linking him with a move to the Emirates.

So what has Nicholas said?

When asked about the rumours that surfaced last week making Arsenal the latest club to be credited with an interest in the Frenchman, the Sky Sports pundit said:

“He could certainly play at Arsenal because the way they play, his style would be more than suitable for it.

“The problem is getting the judgement right over whether he’s ready right now, playing every week for Arsenal compared to who is there already.

“I’m a big fan of Alexandre Lacazette, and Edouard has got quite a bit of Lacazette in style within his game.

“He certainly would not come to England straightaway and score 20 to 25 goals in a season unless Arsenal find a renewed belief and they get the whole team right.

“It’s got potential, absolutely, but I’m not convinced that they will go and buy him. The reason is that in Scotland, Celtic are gauging him as a £40million player.

“He could be more suitable to Everton if they build their team in the right way. I have watched them quite a bit this season.

“Dominic Calvert-Lewin has had a purple patch but Edouard is a better technical player. He’s got more about him than Calvert-Lewin and there’s no doubt in my mind he would be a very good buy for someone.”

So is Nicholas correct?

When you consider that Newcastle United paid £40m for Joelinton, Celtic have every right to look to receive something similar for such a key player, the £25m sale of Kieran Tierney has shown that Scottish clubs should no longer be seen as a bargain basement for top talent.

The link to Arsenal is dependant on what Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang decides to do now that he is approaching the final year of his contract, the North London club could sell him knowing that they could replace him with Edouard and still have change left over.

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Edouard would be a perfect fit for Mikel Arteta’s side with them rotating between a solitary striker and two up front, something that he has shown he can adapt to perfectly this season playing as both a target man and a support striker.

Nicholas has played down Celtic’s chances throughout their European campaign this season and has – bizarrely – targeted both Edouard and Leigh Griffiths over their goal celebrations, as a former player and boyhood fan, he should be building up their players, not knocking them down.

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