Edourard, Frimpong and more: How Celtic's departed stars have fared and why their success can help attract new talent

We’ve checked in on their progress, with the help of fans at their new homes, in order to understand how they are developing, whether their sales were a success for Celtic and how those moves could help the club in attracting more talent before transferring them for profit to a higher level after a successful spell in the Hoops. 

Odsonne Edouard

On August 31 2021 Edouard moved to Crystal Palace for a fee thought to be in the region of £15million, after a four-year spell at Celtic. The south London side are currently mid-table in the English Premier League but are in a bit of a slump having failed to score more than a single goal in all but one of their five league matches in 2022.

As a result of their recent form, The Eagles are just five points, despite having played a match more, above 17th-placed Newcastle United. Edouard’s new team are entering a critical run of fixtures with four matches to play within 11 days including winnable games against the bottom two (Watford and Burnley). 

Crystal Palace fan and podcaster Dan Cook (aka HLTCO) spoke to The Celtic Way about the former Bhoy’s part in Palace’s season so far.

“I’ve been very pleased with him, although I do feel he’s struggling to find his true place in our XI," said Cook. "He’s been used with most success off the left but with (Wilfried) Zaha now back, he’s competing for the central striker role and I think he struggles a tad to impose himself on defences. 

"[He's] still a very good finisher when opportunities arise, it’s just a case of working out the kinks.”

Edouard has been used most recently as a central striker but, as he likes to drop into the left half-space from that position, Crystal Palace will have to consider how that will work with Zaha wishing to occupy the same space at times.

At other points in the season the Frenchman has played as the left-sided forward in a 4-3-3 and he even played part of the match against Liverpool as a left midfielder. Despite these positional moves he has scored six and created three goals although he did have a run of seven starts between October 2021 and Boxing Day in which he did not find the net. 

As could be expected with the move to the English Premier League, Edouard’s stats have dipped a little. He’s scoring non-penalty goals at a rate of 0.36 per 90 - just over a goal every three games - whereas last season for Celtic this figure was 0.48 - just under a goal every two games. His non-penalty xG per 90 at Celtic in 2020-21 was 0.56 per 90 but at Crystal Palace it is 0.40 per 90. 

Edouard is still shooting from good locations but, as alluded to by Cook, is striking at goal 2.39 times per 90 which is almost 1.5 times fewer per match in the Premier League than he was in the Scottish Premiership. However, outwith their exciting frontline personnel Palace are quite a reserved and unadventurous team.

Manager Patrick Vieira recently lamented their approach stating: “If we want to score goals we need players in the area. I will insist we have more inside the box.”

Although The Eagles do get a reasonable amount of players into the box when they actually take a shot those situations arise too infrequently. Edouard could be operating as a better focal point and being more aggressive in his efforts to generate shooting opportunities but he’s having a reasonably good start to life for a team of their type at this level. If he can work out his fit with Zaha, and the club adds some attacking intent at fullback and creativity in midfield, this can end up being a good move for all parties. 

Jeremie Frimpong

Eric Bruehl of the Neverkusen Podcast was effusive in his praise of Jeremie Frimpong’s performances at Bayer Leverkusen since the 21-year-old Dutchman’s January 2021 move.

He stated that Frimpong has been “a wonderful addition to Bayer Leverkusen's squad. I don't think anyone thought he'd be such a quick and permanent solution to our problems at full-back/right back, and this season he's even stepped it up a notch".

Frimpong has started all of Bayer Leverkusen’s competitive matches this season barring a mid-December Bundesliga match missed due to suspension and the final Europa League group match which he was rested for as they had already qualified for the next stage. Die Werkself lost to Mainz on Friday night which pushed them five points behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga but in their matches directly preceding that they put four goals past VFB Stuttgart, defeated Dortmund 5-2, beat Augsburg 5-1 and won against Borussia Monchengladbach away from home. 

They’re having an excellent season and Bruehl believes that Frimpong has been a key part of it.

“He's a modern full-back in every sense of the word," he said. "The whole of the right side of the pitch belongs to him and his comfort going forward is not something that Leverkusen fans are used to but it's his defence this season that has been the real bonus.

"He's improved massively in his defensive role/duties, and his confidence in his speed allows him some space to make the odd mistake and recover. The mistakes have really decreased, though.”

The Bayer Leverkusen podcaster added: “He fits really nicely into the kind of team Gerardo Seoane is trying to build at Leverkusen. A team that can press and counter but is also comfortable with the ball at their feet.

"Bayer will play with a high line at times, his speed is also sometimes necessary to help kill a counter-attack before it can develop.  He's not the best one-on-one marker by any stretch, but his pace does allow him to direct attackers wide very often which can helpfully slow things down.  And offensively, well, I won't bore you with more, but his output has been better than anyone could have expected or hoped.”

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Frimpong already has six assists in the league this season. That’s 0.30 assists per 90 which is significantly more than the 0.10 per 90 he tallied in the 2020-21 season at Celtic. However, his xA per 90 is 0.14 per 90 with Leverkusen and was 0.16 per 90 at Celtic so, while he’s clearly been a brilliant attacking threat, there could be some regression to come in terms of creating goals for his teammates.

The Netherlands under-21 international is attempting even more dribbles now he is in the Bundesliga and, notably, is succeeding with a higher percentage of them meaning that he makes almost two successful dribbles every match. 

Interestingly, Frimpong is winning 48 per cent of his aerial duels for Bayer Leverkusen whereas at Celtic it was just 23 per cent. The style of play in Germany, and the type of player he directly faces, may shield him from this deficiency in his game which was targeted by opponents during his spell in Scotland.

From Celtic’s perspective, the timing of Frimpong’s sale was sub-optimal and they perhaps did not get the sort of transfer fee that might have been achievable with a little more development and a summer sale but it has been a brilliant move for the player. He has played 90 per cent of the available minutes for an exciting team in a top league and still has the possibility of a deep run in the Europa League to look forward to.

Bruehl concludes by saying: "He seems as though he really enjoys playing at Leverkusen and the fans really seem to love him. This team is full of young guns looking to prove themselves and he fits right in.

"Kudos to our scouting/recruiting department for spotting this missing piece to the puzzle, and nothing but applause for Frimpong for how he's delivered.  It's inevitable that if his trajectory continues he'll be on to greener pastures but that's life as a Leverkusen fan.”

Kristoffer Ajer

After five years at Celtic, 23-year-old Norwegian Kristoffer Ajer signed for newly-promoted English Premier League side Brentford in July 2021.

He started their first six league matches of the season but injury kept him sidelined for most of the year after that. Ajer has recently returned to the team, playing the last three EPL matches in a row, during what has been a difficult spell for Brentford. They are winless since January 2 and are now just seven points above the relegation zone having played more games than every team beneath them.

There are suggestions that manager Thomas Frank may be considering a switch to a back four in response to this slump but up until this point Ajer has tended to be used as the right-sided central defender in a back three system. This role, coupled with The Bees’ style of play and individual quality compared to their opponents, is a big change from his time at Celtic. 

Ajer was a key ball progression outlet for Celtic but is making far fewer carries of the ball at Brentford and almost no line breaking passes into the feet of central attackers. Theoretically being the wide player in a back three should bring opportunities to drive with the ball past the first line of pressure but Ajer has been a little hesitant and, when he does attempt this, is sometimes pushed wide instead of making more dangerous runs through the centre.

Analyst Bees Tactical told The Celtic Way: “Occasionally we’ve seen him drive forward with the ball from deep but nothing like (in his) Celtic days possibly for two reasons. The opposition are better and his own team is weaker so the coach demands that he hold a defensive position.”

However, Ajer has been widely praised by Brentford fans for his own performances so far and Bees Tactical added that “you tend to get the feeling he’s playing well within himself to fulfill our defensive strategy. He could play much higher up the table in a back four".

The change which Ajer is adapting to is most clearly evidenced statistically by his passing completion percentage. At Celtic in the 2020-21 season Ajer completed 90 per cent of his passes whereas at Brentford so far it is 67 per cent. He’s also less successful when tackling dribblers; stopping 50 per cent in the EPL compared to 68 per cent in the Scottish Premiership. However, he is winning aerial duels at almost the exact same rate and with the same frequency. 

Brentford are a smart club and, despite their current struggles and question marks over whether they are making the most of his attributes currently, this has been a sensible move for Ajer. 

If The Bees avoid relegation and he has another successful season at this level then the former Celtic player could even move to a bigger club. From Celtic’s perspective - think Cameron Carter-Vickers coming in on a permanent deal and then being sold for a profit to an EPL club in a couple of seasons  - that sort of successful trajectory could give more leverage in future recruitment and sales negotiations.

Ryan Christie

Kirk Tovey, an AFC Bournemouth fan and YouTuber for The Cherries Red Army said of Christie: “Cherries fans were excited by the signing of Ryan Christie and he settled quite quickly becoming our top assist maker in no time playing off the right in a front three.” 

Bournemouth are second in the EFL Championship, well placed for an attempt to win promotion to the Premier League, and the Scottish international has been an important part of that.

Christie had appeared in every league game this season for The Cherries, in fact starting every fixture except the season opener, until injury against Birmingham on February 9 kept him out of the following match. It is unclear when he’ll return from the treatment table.

Tovey added: “Christie did have a dip in form for a few weeks just after Christmas and struggled to play an adjusted position at central attacking midfield at times when asked. He rediscovered his best form recently scoring his second goal (and) once Christie is back (from injury) the future looks bright. The Cherries fans love his work rate on and off the ball and natural creative ability that can unlock defences when in full flow.”

Christie seems to be a good fit for Bournemouth and is delivering what was expected of him. He already has two goals and has 0.34 assists per 90 which is even in excess of his rate of 0.28 per 90 at Celtic in 2020-21. That rate, which totals six assists so far, doesn’t feel sustainable but he has certainly been an efficient creative threat. Talking of efficiency - he’s shooting less but, of course, still a lot. 2.37 times per 90 as opposed to 3.51 per 90 for Celtic. 

Christie did face criticism among Celtic fans in relation to the size of club and level of league which he departed for but the move looks like it could pay off with promotion at the first attempt and an opportunity to play in the Premier League.

Celtic can point to this as a pathway for other Scottish players they develop, although ideally transfer future assets before they have just six months left on their contracts.