BRENDAN RODGERS has dismissed wayward suggestions that he is interested in his former striker Odsonne Edouard.
The Celtic manager insisted there will NOT be a reunion with the French frontman who quit the champions in the summer of 2021 in a £15.5million move to Crystal Palace.
Edouard is now in soccer limbo after a disastrous season-long loan to Leicester City last time out where he rarely figured and didn’t score a solitary goal.
The troubled Midlands outfit, who were eventually relegated, tried to cut his temporary transfer short in January, but Selhurst Park gaffer Oliver Glaser rejected the request and stated he had no place for the ex-Celt in his plans, as CQN highlighted three months ago.
THE TWO FACES OF ODSONNE EDOUARD…the French striker celebrates with Scott Sinclair after hitting the Scottish Cup winner against Hearts in May 2018 and (below) the frontman holds his head after a glaring miss.
Rodgers paid a Hoops record £9million for Edouard in July 2018 after the prolific attacker had impressed in his loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain.
However, the Irishman stated after his side’s 2-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Algarve last night: “Odsonne hasn’t been on my radar.
“I obviously know him, but it’s about a player who will fit into the structure of the team.
“I’m not worried so much about a big name. It’s about the collective of the team.
“Big names don’t always give you what you need. This team needs hunger, goals, work-rate and intensity.
“Big names don’t always give you that. It’s about big players. I just want players who are hungry to learn, but also ready now.”
CELTIC, HERE I COME…Shin Yamada will boost the champions’ Japanese contingent to four.
Rodgers confirmed 25-year-old Japanese striker Shin Yamada is on his way from Kawasaki Frontale and, speaking to the Scottish Sun, continued: “He’ll have a medical over the next couple of days and we’ll have a look at him.
“We’ve lost a lot of goals, so we need to replace that. Hopefully, this can be one of a number of players we can bring in that aspect.
“He’s got intensity and work-rate. It’s something the scouts have seen.”
The Irishman added: “In terms of the club, we will bring in players to develop and players for now. Even though he’s a bit older, he’s probably one of those that can give us that intensity and pressure.
“I need to look and see him when he comes in and hopefully he can do well. The idea was to bring him in and assess him.
“He’s a strong boy – but we’d want to add to our front line also.”
