Premier League Rumors: COVID-19 Pandemic Helps Celtic Keep Edouard For Now

Celtic FC is fully aware that several teams are interested in prying Odsonne Edouard away from Celtic Park. However, things have changed drastically since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Most clubs are financially in distress and it appears the French football player will be sticking it out with the team, at least for now.

Among the teams closely linked to the 22-year-old forward is Arsenal FC. However, the Gunners have their share of manpower problems. Mikel Arteta needs to address the situation of several stars, including David Luiz and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang. Arsenal has not been spared from financial limitations, likely taking them out of the race for Edouard's services. Much of this was covered in a previous post.

With the current situation, former Hoops manager John Barnes feels that Edouard is likely to play on with the club. This season, Edouard has accounted for 27 goals in 45 games across all competitions. Due to the coronavirus, the Scottish Premier title was awarded to Celtic, making it the ninth consecutive year for the team. With the league over, speculation on Edouard's future has been in discussion.

But as far as Barnes is concerned, he does not see an Edouard move happening for now. He points out finances as one of the key indicators to make a move possible, something most clubs don't have the luxury of spending right now, BonusCodeBets reported. However, he added that it would all still depend on what Edouard wants to happen moving forward.

"It’s up to the player to decide if he wants to stay in Scotland or not. If he is happy there and he’s in the Champions League and happy with his football then yes they may be able to keep him, but if he wants to go and play in a bigger league with more exposure then it is hard for any Scottish team to keep their better players," Barnes said.

Arteta has a full plate right now with the future of Aubameyang needing to be addressed. The 38-year-old coach plans to personally sit down with French football players soon to show him his role in the system he is putting in place. The same holds for Luiz who holds a good relationship with the Spanish coach. On whether the pursuit for Edouard would follow remains unknown.