Celtic will have one thing on their mind this summer - building the squad and coaching staff to mount a title challenge.
The Hoops have surrendered their grasp of the Premiership title and it has cost Neil Lennon his job.
What’s the word?
One area where they may look to improve is offensively. Odsonne Edouard has regularly been linked with a move away and the latest on his situation is that Liverpool are interested in securing his services.
That’s according to Anfield Central, who reported this week that the Reds were ready to structure a deal which would see Divock Origi go in the opposite direction.
The Belgian has received minimal game-time this season and thus could leave Merseyside when the window opens this summer.
Edouard has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs in recent months, with West Ham and Leicester also reportedly interested in the Frenchman.
Ideal replacement
Origi has only scored once this season but that isn’t a fair barometer of the striker’s abilities. After all, he has started just twice in the Premier League throughout 2020/21,
The Belgian has a habit of scoring big goals, however. Whether it was against Barcelona in the 2018/19 Champions League or in the final itself, he is often the man for the big occasion.
Origi is still only 25 and you sense there is far more to come from a player who has had two successful loan spells away from Liverpool in the past.
He scored seven times during a short stint with Wolfsburg after netting nine times for Lille in 2014/15. Despite his lack of game-time, he has also scored 35 goals for Liverpool. You don’t manage that sort of tally without having a bit of quality about you.
Brendan Rodgers also rates him highly, something which should add to the lure of him replacing Edouard. Just as he did with the Frenchman, the former Celtic manager was the man who initially signed Origi for Liverpool.
Speaking about the forward in previous years, Rodgers noted: “We had him [Origi] at Melwood, the scouting team there had a wonderful presentation showing him from 15 years of age and we showed him how we would like to progress his game."
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Rodgers added: “He is a great talent. He hasn’t been allowed to show it as much as he would like because of the talent that is there [at Liverpool].”
If a player is good enough for Rodgers, then he’s certainly good enough for Celtic.
Origi feels like the type of player who could thrive in the Scottish game and get his career back on track. It would also be cost-effective including him in a deal with Edouard.