Ex-France star makes claim about Edouard and Ntcham’s Celtic future

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Moussa Dembele left Scottish Premiership giants Celtic last summer but could Odsonne Edouard and Olivier Ntcham follow them?

Celtic might be one of the most historic and successful clubs in European football but that has not stopped them from being seen by some as something of a ‘stepping stone’ for players looking to make their mark in Britain.

In recent seasons, Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Ki Sung-Yueng are among a number of players who moved to Celtic from abroad, built up their reputation and left for a bigger league.

Moussa Dembele did the same in August, joining Lyon for £19.7 million after a protracted and sometimes bitter transfer saga on deadline day.

And, in the eyes of Robert Pires, Dembele’s fellow Frenchmen Olivier Ntcham and Odsonne Edouard could follow in the former Fulham youngster’s footsteps.

Goal claimed in August that Ntcham was keen on a move to Portuguese champions FC Porto, who had a £13 million bid turned down. It remains to be seen how long Edouard stays in Scotland too, having made his loan move from PSG permanent in the summer for a club-record £10 million.

And, when asked about the futures of Ntcham and Edouard, 1998 World Cup winner Pires has suggested that they too could use Celtic as a stepping stone.

“I know (Ntcham and Edouard) are good players,” the former Arsenal and France star told the Evening Times. “For the guys it’s a good opportunity to play for Celtic because they can play in the Europa League and fight for the title with Rangers.

“If you are a player like these guys and have an opportunity to play with a great, great club such as Celtic and everyone in Europe knows them…for the future, if you play very well you can join the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A.”

Celtic fans won’t want to hear this but Pires probably has a point. Celtic are a proud club with a rich and storied history but it doesn’t take long for players like Dembele and Van Dijk to outgrow the relatively small pond that is Scottish football.