Celtic have had a habit in the last few decades of stumbling upon strikers with incredible quality.
The Bhoys famously had Henrik Larsson in their ranks, a player thought to be one of the greatest in the club’s history. Trying to live up to a talent like that isn’t easy but the Hoops have had a couple of players who have scored goals with similar regularity.
Odsonne Edouard is the current gem at Paradise. He has scored 20 goals this term and has a tally of 81 strikes in 162 outings.
Considering who the Frenchman replaced, he needed to hit the ground running after his club-record £9m arrival in 2018, but he did exactly that.
The man he succeeded was a certain Moussa Dembele. He was the jewel in the crown of Brendan Rodgers’ time in Glasgow, being hailed for his pace and power by the Northern Irishman on several occasions.
Who is the better striker?
Edouard
Dembele
Dembele was labelled a “big talent” by Rodgers and it’s clear to see why. The Frenchman racked up 51 goals in 94 outings, playing a huge part in three successive Premiership triumphs.
Signed for a measly development fee after he was out of contract at Fulham, the striker’s value soared to £6.3m during his days with the Hoops.
Since leaving Glasgow, however, his value has risen by a considerable amount. He signed for Lyon in a deal worth £19.7m three years ago before his remarkable form in France led to an increase of 800% in his value; being worth £45m in 2018.
No one can doubt Dembele’s qualities but his value has actually fallen in recent years. After being linked with Manchester United and Chelsea in years gone by, Lyon sporting director Jean-Michel Aulas wanted a considerable €100m (£92m) for his services.
Considering his worth to the Ligue 1 club, it was strange that he was loaned out to Atletico Madrid in January. That being said, the Spanish outfit have an option to buy the forward for €33.5m (£29m).
That’s a slight increase on his current Transfermarkt rating of £22.5m. That’s still a costly amount and shows that his worth has risen by a whopping 257% since his final days in Glasgow.
Exactly what has triggered such a startling rise? Well, 45 goals in 108 games for Lyon tells a big a part of the story.
Last season was arguably one of his most impressive yet, as only Kylian Mbappe and Wissam Ben Yedder (18 each) scored more goals in the French top flight than Dembele with 16.
Since departing the Scottish Premiership, the 24-year-old can very much be classified among the elite forwards in Europe. He is still quite young and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his value rose once again in the coming years.
A deadly finisher, Dembele has a very high ceiling, one which was aided by his development under Rodgers at Celtic.
AND in other news, Sold for £2m, now worth £25.2m: Celtic will rue terrible call on “superb” £50k-p/w gem…