This morning, the biggest non-news story of the summer made the news, and what do you know?
It was one of the questions Ange was asked today in his presser; is Celtic worried that Edouard might hang around for one more year and walk on a free?
This is hardly a stunning development.
It’s been telegraphed since at least the end of last season and debated on all the blogs. It remains a possibility, and one that the club was alert to before Lawwell’s pet hack brought it up this morning, and all the rest leaped aboard.
Celtic knows the Edouard situation.
We also know that some elements of it are out of our hands. If a good offer comes in he will go. If one doesn’t come in then he’ll stay and run down his deal. That will cost us an eight figure sum of money.
Unless, of course, Edouard stays, realises that he needs to play well for the offer he wants and his goals win us the title.
Then you have to consider the cost-benefit analysis. If he goes now we will recoup what we paid for him and make, perhaps, four or five million more in the transaction, with the rest going to PSG. They can pay Messi for a week.
If you consider the cost of a replacement, settling in time and everything else, isn’t there a case for keeping an on-form Eddie hanging around?
The jackpot at the end of the campaign isn’t just another title, it’s £40 million guaranteed … more, by far, than what we’ll net from a successful sale. If he helps make that happen isn’t it a good ending all round?
Obviously, we can do both. We can net that bonanza and cash in at the same time.
But crucially, we do not need to cash on Eddie.
It would be good for the bottom line and would give the manager a little extra cash to play with, but Celtic Park will not fall down around our ears if he’s here for one more season, gets his 100th goal and secures us the Groups.
I think he will go. It seems certain.
There will be an offer for him which matches what Celtic thinks he’s worth and Odsonne Edouard will depart Parkhead for pastures new.
But really, the idea that such a good player being at Parkhead whilst we take a shot at that jackpot … it’s not exactly a full-on disaster is it? Some may even think we’ve got the best of both worlds.
This is the media playing its usual game; things have gone to Hell at Ibrox and they are desperately trying to change the story. They will not succeed. Edouard’s situation does not put us in crisis either way, it does not wreck any long term plans either way.
Ange is right to focus on the positives; if Eddie stays the extra year he can make an impact on the team and on the games to come. If he goes the cash will be there for his replacement.
If we win the title there is no downside here at all … but of course the media is determined, as ever to try to find every little weak spot they can and hit it hard.
Ange is not concerned.
At Celtic, people might be a little worried because, after all, it’s a pretty big sum to lose out on even if there’s a tremendous possible upside; we always err on the side of caution and it would be better to move Eddie on.
But this does not make a crisis, no matter how hard they may try to spin it into one. Whatever happens here, Celtic will still be in a strong position as far as the playing side of it goes.
Eddie is 15 goals from the 100.
He will want to reach that goal if he’s hanging around, and if he’s angling for a move then he needs to play better.
That could be just as good for us as if he’d left and his replacement hit 20.
In the end, the fans will think the same either way; as long as we win this title, everything has been worth it.
Edouard staying doesn’t weaken us.
This is certainly not a moment of crisis.
The Rumour Guy is a Celtic fan and blogger from Glasgow.