Ange Postecoglou could be heading for disaster on Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele.
What’s the latest?
According to a recent report by Football Scotland, with first-team opportunities looking to be limited for the 19-year-old forward, the England U18 international could be weighing up whether or not to sign a contract extension with the Bhoys – with the teenager’s current deal set to expire this summer.
The report goes on to state that the Celtic hierarchy will be desperate to keep the youngster at Parkhead beyond the end of the current campaign, however, with both James Forrest and Liel Abada looking to be ahead of Dembele in the club’s right-wing pecking order, the attacker could well be tempted to move onto pastures new.
Ange must avoid Dembele disaster
Considering just how highly-rated Dembele is by both those at Lennoxtown and in the wider footballing world, with the 19-year-old having previously been named on the shortlist for the European Golden Boy award, it is undeniable that losing the services of the winger on a free transfer would be something of a disaster for Postecoglou and his side.
Indeed, the Greek-Australian manager appeared extremely excited at the prospect of working with the £225k-rated forward upon his arrival at Celtic Park last summer, stating of Dembele: “He is obviously a hugely talented boy. He has been here for a while and I guess he gets an opportunity now. I think the way we play will suit him.
“He was positive [against Charlton Athletic in pre-season], not just with the ball, he also worked hard without the ball. I thought he did well. I never worry too much about age, at either end of the spectrum. It is more about can they do what we want them to do.
“He has been in and around the first-team squad for a little while now. I think he wants to break through and be a first-team player so I see no reason why anybody needs to protect him from that.”
And, while it is undeniable that Forrest has been an incredible servant to Celtic over the years, with the 30-year-old having struggled to make any real impression under the 56-year-old manager so far this season – averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.67 over his 14 Premiership appearances – perhaps it would be a wise move for Postecoglou to start phasing the £19k-per-week winger out of his immediate first-team plans, and instead award his spot to Dembele.
Indeed, should the £2k-per-week teenager who Brendan Rodgers dubbed a “special talent” begin to establish himself as a regular fixture in Celtic’s matchday squads, as well as start to receive a far greater share of first-team minutes over the remainder of the season, it would certainly help convince Dembele that he does indeed have a future in Glasgow – something that could well lead to the 19-year-old putting pen to paper on a new deal this summer.
In other news: Ange can finally axe Celtic’s £6.5m leech by landing £3.5k-p/w gem with “pace & power”
