TALENT TO BOUNCE BACK
progress on that front has gold plated his potential value in a way scoring goals in Scottish football never will.
He’s right too. There is a key difference between Dembele and someone like the equally prolific Griffiths for example. When clubs go shopping for the next Thierry Henry the starting price is £10m and that’s the billing Dembele has earned for himself as the most highly-rated emerging striker in all of French football.
But that doesn’t mean he can afford to down tools on the domestic front indefinitely. On the contrary if he does still have some wealthy admirers out there they are unlikely to feel the purse strings loosening if they start to suspect he is not the new Henry but maybe Le Sulk mk II.
And, if he is in need of a reality check, surely it must have occurred to him some time ago that by playing second fiddle to Odsonne Edouard he is not even the most highly-rated emerging French striker at Parkhead anymore never mind Paris.
So, yes, it may be a marriage of convenience cobbled together on a needs must basis but Dembele should be grateful this opportunity has arrived all the same as it presents him with the chance to leave the club as he entered it – with all guns blazing.
He is also fortunate to have a manager like Rodgers in his camp because the Northern Irishman’s man-management skills are second to none.
If there is a manager in the game who can light a fire under the striker’s screw-ins and get them smoking hot again then it is Rodgers.
What’s more, now Griffiths is back on the casualty list and already a doubt for the looming Europa League showdown with Zenit St Petersburg, Celtic’s boss knows for sure some kind of intervention will be required as he needs the old Dembele back. And that’s just for starters.
Rodgers has spoken clearly and purposefully about his ambitions for the transfer window and his message was repeated before a ball had been kicked on Saturday when he stressed he will be disappointed should he fail to add to his squad before Wednesday’s deadline. And that was before he lost Griffiths and keeper Craig Gordon to injury.
All of which means the next three days ought to be fascinating. They’d better get those doors fixed pronto.