Moussa worth £30m? I don’t think so, says McCoist
ALLY McCOIST claims Moussa Dembele is not worth the £30million-plus price tag Celtic placed on his head during the January transfer window. The 20-year-old striker has attracted the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs after netting 32 times during his debut
season in Glasgow. It is understood it would have required an offer of £30m to even bring Celtic to the negotiating table amid interest from Chelsea earlier this year. McCoist admits he is a firm admirer of Dembele, who will be aiming to add to his tally of five goals in three Old Firm appearances when Rangers enter Parkhead on Sunday. However, the Ibrox club’s all-time record goalscorer believes that speculation about his current value has been excessive. ‘Moussa Dembele isn’t a £30m or £40m player and if (Celtic chief executive) Peter Lawwell gets that, then good on him,’ said McCoist. ‘There’s a man doing his job very well! ‘He might develop into a player of that value. I like him a lot, he can finish. He’s got a good physical presence and movement. ‘But, realistically, he’s not £30m, £40m. ‘He’s certainly the most valuable player in the country. ‘He’s young and will naturally progress. He’s very much a finisher and concentrates on his finishing, which is good, but other parts of his game will develop. ‘Celtic will certainly cash in on him, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m not in the £30m or £40m brigade, if you can spare me that.’ McCoist, who scored 27 Old Firm goals during his 15-year career as a Rangers player, knows Dembele will again want to rise to the derby occasion this weekend. ‘It says a lot about his mentality that he’s scored in every Old Firm game,’ added the 54-year-old. ‘It’s difficult to maintain that level of quality of finishing, regardless of the opposition. ‘If you look at his goals — particularly in Old Firm games — they’ve all been different. ‘Headers from corners, turning Philippe Senderos at Parkhead. ‘He’s definitely not a one-trick pony and I like that about him.’