CAUSING A STIR
Celtic boss says speculation isn’t good for Dembele
BRENDAN RoDgERs is worried that the constant speculation over Moussa Dembele’s Celtic future could mess with the striker’s head.
Brighton are the latest club to consider a bid for the coveted France Under-21 international, with Everton and West Ham also linked with a move.
Chelsea, AC Milan and Marseille were also credited with an interest in previous transfer windows.
However, although Rodgers admitted the Parkhead club have fielded enquiries about the 21-year-old, he insisted they have yet to receive a formal bid for the striker during his 18-month stay in glasgow.
And he expressed concern that all the transfer talk surrounding Dembele could impact badly on the young Frenchman’s game if he stays put.
‘My mind is that he’s a Celtic player and we have not had one bid,’ said Rodgers.
‘I don’t want to keep going on about it because I think it can affect players, especially young
players. There has been a lot of noise around Moussa for 18 months now but, let’s be clear, we’ve not had one bid. ‘He’s been linked with about 16 clubs, but the bottom line is you have to play football. ‘Always be ready to play and then, if a move comes, it comes. ‘I don’t want to go into speaking about speculation because it has been non-stop and I think it could hinder development of a player, not just Moussa. ‘Obviously, there have been enquiries around him, but not one bid. Moussa is at a stage in his career where he needs to keep proving himself that he can play for Celtic. Then whatever comes from that will come.’
Sportsmail understands Brighton want assurances from Dembele he will move to the south coast before they lodge a formal bid. It remains to be seen if a move to a mid-table Premier League club fits the striker’s career plan. Or if the wages on offer would persuade him to jump. Concerned that Celtic could be left with an unsettled footballer as they prepare to go for a consecutive domestic Treble, Rodgers added: ‘It can be very unhelpful for a young player. ‘If you are an experienced player, you get used to it. But if you’ve been linked with so many clubs over a period of time, big clubs, lesser clubs, foreign clubs, British clubs, then it surely can be unsettling. ‘It’s not something that ends up being good for a player.’ Rodgers still believes Dembele can move eventually to a major club, cutting out the ‘middle man’ of a Southampton or Brighton. Admitting a player can only go where the offers are, however, he said: ‘Someone looked at Virgil Van Dijk and thought he wasn’t at the level for Liverpool and he had to go elsewhere and then made the step. ‘(Victor) Wanyama went to Southampton and made the jump, Ki (Sung-Yueng) went to Swansea. ‘But I don’t agree that always has to be the step. If the player comes out at the right time then he can go to that level.’ Downplaying suggestions that the speculation might already have affected Dembele, given his low-key performance in a the 0-0 draw with Rangers before the winter break, Rodgers argued that the sheer volume of games in December was a bigger factor. After he was substituted in the Old Firm game, Sportsmail columnist Kris Commons accused the striker of disrespecting his team-mates by heading straight down the tunnel for a shower instead of watching the rest of the match. ‘Moussa is not that type,’ said Rodgers. ‘It’s one of the beauties of him. ‘He’s a really good boy and super professional. He does walk slow. The boys will tell you. He virtually breaks into a walk. ‘He times his run perfectly for team meetings. We are all waiting to fine him for being late. ‘He has this incredible knack. We don’t know if he hides at the back and just steps in. ‘But, seriously, Moussa is a very relaxed boy. He’s laid back, but he’s professional. ‘I don’t know what the noise was, but that’s not the type of group I have.’ Aside from Dembele (left), there is also interest in Leigh Griffiths from MLS side Sporting Kansas City and Swansea, while midfielder Stuart Armstrong and defender Jozo Simunovic have also been linked with moves. ‘I’m quite relaxed on it,’ shrugged Rodgers. ‘I think because of who we are and how we play, it is going to attract attention and that attention will ultimately lead to interest in players.’