We’re very glad to see Brendan Rodgers doing so well at Celtic. Some of the criticism he got from fans, both Liverpool and rivals, towards the end of his tenure was unfair. He was ridiculed in a manner which ignored his success at Swansea and for us in 2013/14 (although the decision to sack him was of course the right one)…
But as mentioned, his start to life north of the boarder has been positive. Celtic earned a point against Pep Guardiola’s brilliant Manchester City side midweek in the Champions League and are yet to lose in the SPL – seemingly on their way to another title.
SEE MORE:
Coutinho’s wonderful quotes suggest he wants to stay at Liverpool for a long time
Part of the reason for their excellent early form has been Moussa Dembele, the young forward who cost £500k from Fulham in the summer. Liverpool were strongly linked with the striker back in March, via Get West London, but nothing materialised and we allowed Dembele to join Rodgers’ Celtic.
The 20-year-old has been involved with 13 goals/assists already this campaign – a pretty impressive record. He scored twice against City too and bagged a hat-trick in the Old Firm Derby, proving he’s not just stat padding against poor Scottish teams.
Jamie Carragher reckons Dembele will eventually be sold for £30m, a 6000% increase on what they paid for him.
“Brendan Rodgers has unearthed a gem,” our former centre-back told the Daily Mail. “He only cost £500,000 from Fulham and with Rodgers’ background in developing young players, there is no question Dembele is in the right place to prosper. He only had to see Raheem Sterling at Parkhead to see how Rodgers handles young talent.
“Already the 20-year-old looks like an absolute bargain and, if he keeps scoring at the rate he has been, Celtic are going to struggle to keep him but potential suitors will have to be wary: if Celtic do eventually sell him, then it is going to be for a fee 20 or 30 times more than their initial outlay.”
We’re glad Dembele is at Celtic though, as he wouldn’t have had a sniff this term if we’d have signed him. It’s good to see talented youngsters get chances and perform and we hope he keeps up the good work for our former boss.