Albian Ajeti: Celtic's £4.5m signing from West Ham targets Odsonne Edouard pairing
Last updated on .From the section Celtic
Switzerland striker Albian Ajeti has signed for Celtic in a £4.5m transfer from West Ham United intent on forming a partnership with Odsonne Edouard.
The 23-year-old has agreed a four-year contract with the Scottish champions after making 12 appearances without scoring in a year with the Hammers.
Ajeti is an admirer of Edouard, who scored 51 goals over two seasons.
"He's scored a lot of goals and I think me and him will be a good match together," he said.
Ajeti joined West Ham for £8m from Basel, for whom he scored 30 goals in two seasons.
He made only three starts in cup competitions and nine substitute appearances in the English Premier League but stressed: "I'm a hard-working player. I score goals, this is what I do. I'm a strong striker, I love the contact.
"I don't have any problem playing in a two or a three or on my own. I've played in many different systems. The most important thing is to attack and that's why this is the perfect club for me."
Ajeti, who has 10 caps for his country, came through the youth ranks at Basel but had spells with Augsburg in Germany's top flight and Swiss Super League rivals St Gallen before a transfer back to St Jakob-Park in 2017.
He played there alongside Mohamed Elyounoussi, the winger who has returned to Glasgow for a second loan spell from Southampton, and he was encouraged to sign for Celtic by his former team-mate.
With Celtic chasing an historic 10th successive league title and a return to the Champions League, Ajeti added: "I know how important this season is for Celtic, for the fans and the whole club.
"There is a long way to go, but the team has the quality to reach this goal at the end of the season.
"There is not a player in the world that doesn't want to play Champions League."
Welcoming Ajeti to the club, Celtic manager Neil Lennon told his club website that he had "admired him for a long time".
"He is a tremendous player with real quality," he added. "He's a really intelligent footballer - well balanced and a really good finisher."
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