CHARLIE NICHOLAS reckons the coronavirus crisis is blowing Celtic’s chance of selling Odsonne Edouard in a big money move.
The Hoops' star man has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Newcastle in the Premier League in recent weeks, but with football on lockdown, Nicholas believes the Frenchman will be staying put.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he 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 £40m player.
"This will come down to what Edouard wants. If he wants to leave, then he will leave. Celtic will take the cash rather than have a player who is not committed to the cause because historically that's what they have done - with Dembele, Virgil van Dijk and Kieran Tierney.
"Although the big clubs have big money, it's been pulled in. Football is going to take a short-term kicking, financially, and a lot of clubs are going to be re-assessing their transfer budgets.
"Clubs may have to accept what they have in many cases, and only spend sparingly. The timing could put any move into jeopardy."
He added: "He has to go to a side that plays him. He can play with a partner and he can play on his own, but he must play in a team that's going to give him a lot of service. If he plays in a side that sometimes gets 40 per cent of possession, he will find it really tough to adapt.
"His attitude has improved sufficiently enough to tell me he will become a top player but I am not quite convinced teams will yet be looking at him as a £40m player. But the current market, with the coronavirus likely to impact the value of players, this will play a crucial part.”
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