Crystal Palace’s summer signing number seven under Patrick Vieira, Odsonne Edouard, has arrived in south London.
The highly rated forward brings a proven record with him as a proven bolster to the Palace frontline.
Having spent the first part of his career in France and more recently competed in Scotland, supporters may not have had much of a chance to watch him.
Get to know our latest addition below.
Edouard will wear the No.22 for Palace, as he did for Celtic.
Throughout his career at youth, senior and international level, Edouard has provided the main thing asked of a striker: goals.
His record reads:
Celtic: 86 goals from 179 games
France U17-U21: 43 from 51
A right-footed forward, Edouard is not the sort of player to simply contribute a goal a game and little else, however. Instead, he claimed 39 assists for Celtic (from 179 appearances) and is happy to drop deeper, collect the ball with confidence, and ensure an attack continues until it returns to him further up the pitch.
He can manage this due to his ability with the ball at his feet: with close control in tight spaces and the speed of thought to make fast passing decisions, perfect for Palace’s possession-focused style of play currently.
Born in French Guiana, Edouard began his career in France with AF Bobigny and the Paris Saint-Germain Academy. He came to the fore in PSG’s development system as a prolific forward, netting over 60 goals in two seasons across teams and scoring just as much at international level; Edouard bagged 17 goals from 15 France Under-17 appearances.
This ability saw him named PSG fans’ Academy Player of the Year for 2015 and earned a professional contract with the senior side shortly after.
In 2016, Edouard began a loan with Toulouse which saw him make his competitive footballing debut. He joined Celtic on loan the following summer, scoring on his debut and earning a permanent deal in 2018.
Edouard’s performances helped the club win three Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups, and personally meant he won the SFWA Footballer of the Year 19/20 as the league’s top scorer.
He continued his international career while with Celtic, playing for France at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-21 levels. He won the 2015 European U17 Championship with France and was crowned the tournament’s Golden Player and top goalscorer, with a competition record eight goals – including three in the final. Overall, he has scored 43 goals from 51 international appearances.