Forget middle of the road clubs... my boy Moussa is going right to the top
SAYS BRENDAN RODGERS
ON THE developing issue of striker Moussa Dembele’s future, Celtic’s attitude remains one of realism.
No one within the confines of Lennoxtown is driving the prodigiously-talented Frenchman to the airport any time soon. Nor is there any indication that either the youngster or his representative are angling for a move. Far from it, in fact.
But no individual with a reasonable grasp on reality is anticipating the 20-year-old racking up seven years of sterling service like Henrik Larsson, let alone following the lead of a one-club man like Paul McStay. Basic economics sees to that.
The only outstanding questions surrounding his departure are: When? For how much? And to where?
Despite Manchester United’s growing interest, Brendan Rodgers believes a January departure is highly unlikely.
Whether Dembele moves on next summer or in either of the subsequent two transfer windows, a contract with Celtic until 2020 will unquestionably see the record £12.5million fee Southampton paid for Victor Wanyama in 2013 being blown out of the water. Twenty million seems a distinct possibility but even that could prove a conservative estimate.
The most intriguing part of the puzzle remains his eventual destination. Celtic’s reputation as a stepping stone to the English Premier League is well established, but recent activity suggests a lingering sense of scepticism at the top of that division as to the quality of player the Parkhead club develops.
In recent times, Wanyama, Virgil van Dijk and Fraser Forster had to first prove themselves at St Mary’s before being linked with bigger and better things. Gary Hooper could fare no better than struggling Norwich City while Ki Sung-yeung landed at Swansea.
These moves were financially rewarding for all parties. But, in a footballing sense, they were a few degrees below Kenny Dalglish’s move to Liverpool or Larsson’s switch to Barcelona.
In Dembele’s case, Rodgers also believes there will be no need for a stepping stone. The striker, he is certain, will one day move to the upper-echelons of the European game with one stroke of his pen.
‘The kid still needs time,’ said the Celtic boss. ‘I think everyone wants to get him in and then sell him off. If he leaves here — at whatever point that will be — it will be for a record transfer fee, there is no question about that.
‘I have worked with players who have gone for a lot of money. Raheem Sterling went for £49m and he was a winger. Luis (Suarez) went for the money that he went for (£65m). He was an international player and, after two years, he left a world-class player. So this kid has the potential in value.
‘Celtic won’t have to worry about players going for £10m any more.
‘The price tag will be whatever. It is not for me to speculate about that. But the kid is clearly one of the great potential strikers in the world.
‘He has shown it at a really big level now and there is still a long way for him to go. He is one who we hope we can have here to continue his development.’
As much as Celtic’s coffers have been swollen considerably in recent times by a string of eight-figure sales, there is still a lingering sense that buying clubs look upon them as easy prey. Rodgers, Ladbrokes Premiership manager of the month for October, (right) gets the fact that a player is only worth what another club is prepared to pay for them.
However, he fails to see why any fee should be dictated by the environment a player happens to inhabit. ‘Absolutely, because it’s about the potential,’ he added. ‘We might not have the Premier League propaganda and the money that goes with that, but they’re still top players. If he (Dembele) leaves here, he can go to the big level. So, there’s a value and a market for that.’ Sixteen goals in Celtic’s colours already this season were enough to alert every scout in the land. Accordingly, two goals for France Under-21s against England made no appreciable difference to how Dembele’s manager sees the situation unfolding. ‘When I came in, my ambition was always, one, for the club,’ he said. ‘So, I think it’s great recognition for the club. And the ambition is also for the player to make him be the best he can be. ‘When I was looking at his performance (against England), it was a great run and finish, one of the ones that really impressed me.
‘You talk about his movement. The one where the England back four were on the edge of the box and he makes a great little “come short” and spin. He gets in behind and chests the ball and swivels on it.
‘So my initial reaction is about performance. Is he improving? Can he work harder? Can he press better?
‘Now, obviously, we have got a challenge because he has scored a free-kick. So now we’ve got to think: “Who is going to take the free-kicks?” He could have had four goals.’
The dream scenario at Celtic is the classic bidding war. With Manchester United already getting their feet under the table, it’s entirely possible that others could soon join them.
For Celtic, the disappointment at eventually losing the player could have enormous compensations.
‘They’re a premium at those clubs as well,’ Rodgers said. ‘I sensed that at Liverpool.
‘Trying to get a player that might be worth £10m somewhere else becomes £20m when you’re at that type of club. But, listen, he’s only been here five months. He’s a huge talent, we know that.’