Scot Gemmill admits surprise at Celtic links with Odsonne Edouard

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Celtic rounded off the transfer window by completing a loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain striker Odsonne Edouard.

Scot Gemmill suggested ahead of Celtic confirming their loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain striker Odsonne Edouard that he was delightfully surprised to see the 19-year-old linked with a move to Parkhead, the Daily Record reports.

Edouard became the Hoops’ last signing of the summer, with the club confirming on their official website that the teenager has joined on a season-long loan deal with an option to make the move permanent at a later stage.

While Edouard may not be a household name amongst the large majority of Bhoys supporters – having not made a Ligue 1 appearance for PSG during his professional career – Gemmill knows very well what the striker is capable of.

Gemmill was in charge of the Scotland under-17 side that was drawn in the same group as a France side that included Edouard for the 2015 European Championships.

And it was a competition that France won with Edouard scoring eight times, including bagging a hat-trick in the final. And Gemmill suggested that having seen him at his best, it is a major coup for Scottish football for Celtic to be linked with a deal.

“It sounds as though they will be getting a really hungry player who will be very keen to make a big impression in the Scottish Premiership,” he said, as reported by the Daily Record, before the deal was completed.

“I’m delightfully surprised to see Edouard being linked with a move to Celtic as I didn’t expect to see him come to Scotland.

“However, this is a move that at this juncture could suit the club and the player. It strikes me as win-win situation for both parties.”

With an unspectacular record coming during his brief club career, Celtic fans will be hoping that Brendan Rodgers will be able to help Edouard rediscover the form that Gemmill saw first-hand two years ago.

Based on how some of the squad appear to have been somewhat transformed while working with the Northern Irishman, it would certainly not be a surprise if the youngster did demonstrate just how much potential he does possess during his time with Celtic.