For a couple of seasons at least, the debate between Alfredo Morelos and Odsonne Edouard threatened to split Scottish football in two.
Did you prefer the silk and style of Celtic’s French forward? Or the more physical, firebrand approach of Rangers’ card-happy Colombian? At the time, with Edouard and Morelos competing to be named the goalscoring king of Glasgow, few would have imagined a world where they would be sharing a dressing room rather than going head to head on either side of the Old Firm divide.
But with TEAMtalk reporting that Crystal Palace are one of a number of clubs looking to sign Rangers’ ‘number 20’ when his Ibrox contract expires this summer, a Morelos-Edouard strike partnership may no longer be the preserve of Fantasy Football team sheets.
Will Alfredo Morelos join Odsonne Edouard at Crystal Palace?
Crystal Palace, the report claims, are ‘ready to make an offer’ for Morelos. Premier League rivals Everton and Wolves are also interested. As are Burnley and Middlesbrough, two Championship high-flyers with top-flight ambitions.
The cynics, of course, will argue that Edouard has not exactly set the world alight south of the border. In 26 league games, he’s scored just three goals for Crystal Palace in 2022/23. To Kenny Miller – who played for both Rangers and Celtic – Edouard’s struggles are a cautionary tale for Morelos.
“Look at Odsonne Edouard, who left Celtic. He’s a very good player and was a top striker in Scotland. He’s gone to the Premier League in England with Crystal Palace. And he’s finding himself in and out of the team,” Miller told the Daily Record in February.
“I know for a fact, that’s just not Alfredo. He won’t be able to deal with not being the go-to guy.”
Others of a more sunny disposition, however, may argue that Morelos is better suited to leading the line for a mid-to-lower-table side than the more cerebral Edouard.
Morelos, Rangers’ all-time record European goalscorer, often saved his most talismanic displays for the continental stage. For games when Rangers needed Morelos to be at his most barnstormingly rambunctious; shrugging off defenders and embracing his inner Bufalo.
Such an approach may see him fit in better at Palace than Edoaurd ever did; the Frenchman’s more languid style yet to really succeed at a club where endeavour is often valued over aesthetics.
