WITH a growing number of clubs showing an interest in signing Moussa Dembele as a result of his goalscoring heroics, it seems unavoidable that he will depart Celtic in the not-too-distant future.
Manchester United, who sent a scout to Dingwall on Wednesday night to watch Dembele in action against Ross County, are the latest party to be linked with a player who cost £500,000 in the summer.
It now appears to be just of question of whether the prolific French striker will leave the Parkhead club in January or at the end of the season.
However, Scott Brown, his captain and team mate, has advised the 20-year-old not to be too hasty to give up on the Scottish champions and all they have to offer in order to pursue greater riches elsewhere.
Brown has had, as his manager Brendan Rodgers this week revealed, opportunities to move to England on more than one occasion during his career and has always decided to stay. Regrets? He doesn’t have any.
The midfielder believes Dembele, who took his tally for the 2016/17 campaign to 15 with his injury-time goal in the Global Energy Arena, could do far worse than commit his immediate future to Celtic.
“It’s been great playing here,” said Brown. “I’ve played in the Champions League and got into the last 16. I’ve played top, top quality teams and players.
“On Champions League nights you get nothing better than playing at Celtic Park. You ask the best players in the world that come here. They’ve struggled to win here easily and perform as they can because of the crowd.
“There have been a lot of players who have stayed here who have had great careers. There have been a lot of players who have had chance to go down south and have ended up playing relegation football while we are playing Champions League football in front of 60,000 fans against Messi and Iniesta. We pretty much get Barcelona every time we get into the competition.
“It is hard for young players. They see the amount of money down there now compared to what is up here. But, do you want to play first team football or do you want to stay here, push boundaries, enjoy your football and collect silverware? It is a great place to start your career and finish.”
Brown added: “Moussa is a lovely character. He is a nice honest boy. He comes in, does his training and doesn’t say too much. He isn’t big time or anything. He works hard and just chills out. You can imagine how chilled out he is just now with the way he’s been playing. I think he is enjoying his football.
“The manager brought him in and said he would be a top quality players and he is a top quality player. As long as he is enjoying his football, hopefully he stays here for a long time as well.”
Harry Redknapp was keen to take Brown to White Hart Lane during his successful spell in charge at Spurs and the player admitted playing in the Premier League down south did appeal to him. But the presence of Gordon Strachan, who signed him from Hibs for £4.4 million in 2007, at Celtic at the time convinced him to stay.
“When I was playing and Harry was interested it was Gordon who was here,” he said. “I was enjoying my time underneath Gordon. He was a great coach and we were in the Champions League every year. That is what made me stay.
“I spoke to Harry a couple of months ago. I met him at a charity do. He said that himself. He said: ‘Did you never fancy coming down to play for us?’ But it was a no brainer for me to stay for Gordon and do everything I could for Gordon.
“He put a lot of trust in me. When he signed me from Hibs I could have gone down to England. But when I spoke to Gordon I got that connection. I knew I wanted to work for him and would work hard for him. I got that vibe off him. I spent a lot of time with him here at Celtic and with Scotland as well. That was huge. The bond that I had with him and the respect I had for him were huge. That is why I stayed.”
Brown went on to play under Strachan on numerous occasions with Scotland and admitted it was difficult to tell him that he was retiring from international football at the start of this season. Typically, though, his mentor was understanding and encouraging about his captain’s decision.
“Gordon was unbelievable with me,” he said. “We still speak on the phone quite a lot. It was hard, but he understood that as well. He told me that he was at Leeds when he retired from Scotland and got Player of the Year the following season because he felt so good. He was getting international breaks off and his body felt so good. He was letting his body chillax.
“It is going to be hard watching Scotland play England. But I want Scotland to win no matter what, whether I am playing or not. I will still be watching the game and supporting them. I will just maybe not have a Brown No.8 top on.”
Enjoying the longest summer break of his professional career and bringing an end to his Scotland career after winning 50 caps has resulted in Brown, who struggled badly at times last season after selflessly declaring himself fit when he was carrying knocks and niggling strains, rediscovering his best form.
The 31-year-old feels that new Celtic manager Rodgers has also been instrumental in the fine performances he has produced both domestically and in Europe. He is hopeful he can maintain the high standards he has set in the Ladbrokes Premiership match against Aberdeen at Pittodrie this afternoon and the Champions League game with Borussia Moenchengladbach in Germany on Tuesday evening.
“I feel good about myself,” he said. “I am enjoying coming to the club. My body is good. I am in a good place now. I just want to continue it as long as I possibly can and push my body as long as it can go as well.
“He is huge about you looking after your body and playing as long as you possibly can. Everyone needs a blow out now and then, but he says if you do it in the right time and the right place you will be fine. Not every week sitting in the house.
“He has been good about diet and what you do off the field and how you are working on the field. As long as you respect him and you work hard for him he gives you the time off when you need it. If I was struggling he would easily give me two or three days off to go and let my body recover and make sure I am right for the next game. It has been working really well with the gaffer and I so far. I want to keep that going as long as I can.”
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