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Newcastle should stay out of the race for Celtic striker

By Durim Halimi

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 23: Odsonne Edouard of Celtic celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Ladbrokes Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on November 23, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 23: Odsonne Edouard of Celtic celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Ladbrokes Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on November 23, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /
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Steve Bruce has been advised to pursue Celtic’s top scorer this summer, but he is not the player Newcastle United need up top.

Newcastle United are desperate for a quality striker to walk through the doors this summer, but the club must plan such a move carefully. The Magpies need to bring in a proven striker with an impressive and consistent track record, as well as experience in Europe’s top leagues.

According to a new report, Steve Bruce’s son, Alex, who currently plays his football for Kilmarnock in the Scottish top flight, is trying to encourage his father to join the race for Celtic’s striker Odsonne Edouard. In my opinion, pursuing the Frenchman would be a mistake for Newcastle United.

Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on Edouard, as are a few other teams, but the Magpies should stay out of this race. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. Yes, Edouard is scoring goals for fun in Scotland, but the quality of Scottish football can be compared to the Championship or even League One, depending on certain fixtures.

The French striker has scored 20 goals in 23 appearances this season, but seven of the twelve teams in the Scottish Premiership have negative goal differentials, with four of those teams having conceded at least 19 more goals than they have scored. In other words, it is not that difficult for a striker to find the back of the net in Scotland, especially when they play for the best team. To put things into perspective, Rangers’ striker Jermain Defoe, who is 37-years-old is the second-highest scorer in the league with 13 goals.

One might make the argument that Edouard has scored a total of four goals in the Champions League and in the Europa League this season, but look at who those goals came against. Edouard’s goals in European competitions were scored against FK Sarajevo (Bosnia), CFR Cluj (Romania) and AIK (Sweden).

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Edouard is a young player, 22, and he has potential to elevate his status as a striker in Europe, but he is not worth the risk for Newcastle United. This team is only two or three quality players away from fighting for a place in Europe and they need an experienced striker to lead the front-line, not a youngster who has dominated a league that might be considered a top 15 league in Europe.