Dembele could prove to be best buy ever at Celtic
JAN VENNEGOOR of Hesselink is delighted to hear Moussa Dembele’s agent state the player is going nowhere for the foreseeable future.
But the former Celtic striker is adamant that won’t stop Europe’s big clubs from continuing to chase him.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG have all been linked with the Frenchman. The Hoops don’t want to sell and have insisted they will not consider anything less than £40million.
Vennegor of Hesselink doesn’t think that price tag will scare any clubs off and told The Sunday Post: “Moussa Dembele is a quality striker and is attracting attention from all over Europe.
“It’s clear for everyone to see the ability he possesses. He has a nice first touch, can score goals, has a first-class work ethic and pulls defenders all over the park with his clever movement.
“But what is also evident is that he has the mentality to cope with the pressure of playing for a big club, with the microscope on you every day and the demands of 60,000 supporters. The mentality aspect is vitally important.
“That part of it will also put any interested clubs at ease. They need to know they are buying a player with the full package.
“They can’t afford too take a gamble, especially when there are tens of millions of pounds at stake.
“So, he strikes me as being a footballer and a person who willl be able to handle anything that comes his way.
“For Celtic to have bought him from Fulham for just £ 500,000 is a fantastic piece of business. It could well turn out to be the best financial return they have ever known.
“But it’s interesting that the agent has said the player is staying for two or three more years. Well, imagine the valuation Celtic might have put on him 12 months from now.
“I wouldn’t like to take a guess on that one. I’ll leave that to the experts.
“I’m sure Brendan Rodgers and the Celtic supporters would love to see him stay for many years but they are also realistic enough to know all good things must eventually come to an end.
“The reality is that if some of the biggest clubs in Europe have Dembele in their sights then they will not give up on him, they will be persistent. That is for certain.”
Vennegoor of Hesselink is now scouting for PSV Eindhoven, the club Celtic signed him from in the summer of 2006 for a bargain fee of £2.2million. He won titles with the club and also helped Gordon Strachan’s team into the last 16 of the Champions League.
He continues to keep an eye on Celtic’s fortunes and is delighted to see them heading towards clinching a Treble for the first time in 16 years.
The Dutchman said: “This season has just been unbelievable for Celtic.
“They set the tone very early on when they qualified for the Champions League and they beat Rangers 5-1 soon after that. They have never looked back.
“There is clearly a real focus and determination on a game by game basis. Despite being so far ahead in the league, they haven’t taken their eye off the ball.
“They deserve tremendous credit to have remained so motivated.
“Brendan and his staff have taken things to a new level. Now, they will
want to finish it off with the most amazing high of winning all of the domestic trophies.
“They play St Mirren in the next round of the Scottish Cup and, if they win that, they are just two games from doing it all.
“It’s hard to imagine them not winning all of the trophies. They have a team full of confidence and playing some of the best football of their careers.
“Scott Brown has been leading by example. I played with him at Celtic and he has developed into a leader with a high level of professionalism. He has responded to the demands put on him by the manager and the coaches.
“With Brown and Scott Sinclair in the team they look unstoppable. Kieran Tierney is doing well as is James Forrest.
“To be honest, there hasn’t been a failure this season and it’s not any often any football club can claim that.
“I will try to get over for a game before the end of the season but I have such a busy schedule. However, I always get treated very well by the Celtic supporters and it’s good to hear the Glasgow accent.”