Rodgers feels caught i
CELTIC ‘It’s very difficult to build something here’: Parkhead boss airs
THIS summer Brendan Rodgers has discovered that it is not building a winning team at Celtic that is difficult but trying to then maintain and strengthen it. It is not a new phenomena.
Given the disparity of finances in football, Celtic’s business model is such that luring young and developing talent comes at a cost that is not entirely monetary. As a Moussa Dembele exit would underline, it is the hole it leaves behind which becomes a headache as the spine of a team starts to unravel.
It is not just that Dembele heading to Lyon at this stage of the season would leave Celtic scrambling for another striker but rather the very fact that the French Under21 internationalist has been one of the talismanic figures of Rodgers’ Celtic and the way in which they play.
But like Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama and Fraser Forster before him, the two-year point tends to be where the line in the sand is when it comes to moving to a bigger league.
“I think it’s understanding where Celtic is at,” said Rodgers. “There’s no secret. It’s very difficult to build something here because every two years there is going to be recycle. That’s the way it is.
“Of course, you’d love to be able to say we want to keep some of these players for five, six, seven years, but it’s not the reality, especially now when players can get offered three or four times the money they are on here. “It’s a really short career. “We don’t want to lose Moussa. We make that known as well. He’s not one we want to lose, but it’s something that has come up and he and his representatives have asked to explore that. Which is natural.”
Brighton made a move for Dembele in January which was rebuffed by Celtic but the striker was sold on a move to the Parkhead side initially by the promise of the fact that it could be a stepping stone elsewhere.
In that regard, there is a moral obligation now for Celtic not to stand in his way as an option of heading back to his homeland arises – but Celtic’s issue is that they need to source a replacement. The ideal scenario would be in persuading the player that he could wait until January for a move but that is a gamble on the part of the striker.
The player himself has made it known he is keen on playing in France again with the possibility of pushing his way into the senior French side. Lyon can also offer Champions League football in addition to an attractive salary while paying Celtic substantially for a player who cost them less than £500k when he was signed from Fulham in June 2016.
What was notable yesterday afternoon as Rodgers discussed Dembele’s situation, is that there is recognition on both the part of the board and the manager that there is going to be a decision to be made.
“I had a long chat with him on Tuesday night,” said Rodgers. “It’s football. It happens. You just have to deal with it best you can whether Moussa stays or goes.
“It’s not all going to be plain sailing and smooth.
“I think it’s difficult for players. There comes a certain time. It’s a really difficult situation because he’s a very talented player.
“We’ve got a couple of groups here. Now this is a cycle that probably comes on