KNOW when to hold em, know when to fold em. That is the predicament Celtic and Brendan Rodgers find themselves in when it comes to Moussa Dembele at the minute.
Listen, to be honest it’s not going to matter what happens from now on in. Celtic are going to make a massive profit on their investment. But that fee is going down at an alarming rate.
The talented young French striker burst onto the scene at the start of his Celtic career like a comet soaring high and it looked as if the sky was the limit. The double against Manchester City, the hat-trick against Rangers and scoring goals for the French U21 side had seen him thrust into the limelight in Europe. Figures of £25m had been bandied about and talk of some real European powerhouse clubs swooping for him had the Celtic fans dreaming of an astronomical return on their small outlay.
But that was last season. It was also before Dembele unfortunately picked up a bad hamstring injury at the tail of it.
To be honest he has looked a shadow of the player he looked in that thrilling initial spell at Celtic Park and his confidence seems to have went to pot. Of course that dip is going to happen with all young players especially ones who burst onto the scene and make a giant initial impact.
But he really has looked average in the majority of games I have watched this season for Celtic. Is it a case of he was that good and set his personal bar so high when he first walked in the door he was always going to find it hard to replicate? Or is it some niggly injuries and the rotation of the lone striker Brendan Rodgers has turned to this season have stemmed his flow? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
I always felt as a striker that if I was fit and in the team doing well I didn’t want to be rotated or rested. Granted I wasn’t at a club like Celtic competing on four fronts but you get my drift.
I don’t think any of the Celtic strikers have been able to get into a rhythm that a run of consecutive games brings.
Look at Leigh Griffiths in Ronny Delia’s final season. He played near enough every week and banged in 40 odd goals. Dembele was the same last season. Being in and out is not good as a striker although Brendan Rodgers and a lot of Celtic fans could argue that none of Celtic’s three main marksmen have consistently performed at a high enough level to warrant an extended run in the team or got the required volume of goals when they have got a starting spot in the side.
One thing I haven’t been particularly impressed with watching Dembele this season is his reaction to being subbed. It’s a wee trait that he seems to have picked up.
Now I more than most can understand how frustrating it can be when you are not having a good game - that happened frequently - and you get hooked off but when that happens you get off the park as quickly as you can. Obviously that applies to when you are drawing a game you really need or want to win.
On the hour mark yesterday when he was withdrawn he took an age to get off the pitch in a game Celtic and the punters were desperate to win. Some will argue it was him saying goodbye to the fans but in my opinion it was a bit of a sulk at his own personal performance. And it is not the first time it has happened this season either.
Why do I know this? Probably because I did it 100 times myself. I remember Mixu Paatelainen at Hibs giving me a rocket one day for doing the exact same thing.
He screamed at me to get off the pitch and be a team player. It was actually a running joke that he used to sprint off the pitch whenever he was subbed because it sent out the message that firstly he had plenty in the tank, even when I knew he was knackered and also to show he was a team player and it wasn’t all about him. That will be something I’m sure with experience that Dembele will pick up on.
Now you have a situation where Brighton reportedly bid £19m plus add ons for Dembele. It turned out to be unfounded but him going to Brighton for that figure would probably have been frowned at a year ago. But it shows how far off it he has been this season.
For me it is time for Celtic to shake Dembele’s hand, wish him the very best of luck and cash in those chips at that price. It would be great business for everyone wouldn’t it?
I would just like to wish all the Herald readers and followers of my column a Healthy and Happy New Year.
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