On one of the most surprising deals of the last day of European summer transfer window, French striker Moussa Dembele left SPL champions Celtic for a reported fee of around £19.7million.
The move comes after a reported training ground bust-up with some of the clubs coaching staff. Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers also hinted at a fall out by claiming the move was “to serve the best interests” of “the culture and environment” at the club.
Rodgers also said: “The board and myself are united and they have been very supportive to me on this issue,”
A loss on the pitch anyway
The striker has established a big reputation in Scotland since arrival in Glasgow from Fulham two years ago as a free agent. The 22-year-old striker has scored 51 goals and produced 18 assists in 94 appearances for the Hoops.
Dembele is the sort of player who always gave the Scottish champions a chance of a goal when he was on the pitch. No doubt he is a talented young striker. However, there have been question marks over his attitude since joining the Hoops.
The striker has been quite active on social media and remarks in the last couple of days have almost made his position at the club untenable. He will certainly be a loss on the pitch, even if he will not in the dressing room.
Lyon could have themselves a bargain
In terms of value for money, Dembele for the reported fee by modern standards looks to be a bargain. Last summer the young striker was linked with a number of Premier League clubs, with a fee of around £40million mooted.
At 22-years-old he still young and learning his trade, but he has a lot of potential and could become a top striker in the future.
A move to Lyon arguably means a step up in standard league wise. Dembele is also planning in his homeland, so he may be more settled at the club. The move will test the striker’s mentality. Dembele was regarded as a relatively big fish in the small pond that is the SPL. Celtic as a club are certainly not small. However, due to a lack of competition, the Scottish league is very small indeed.
It will be intriguing to see how the youngster does at a club like Lyon, who will be playing Champions League football this season. Dembele has previously appeared in Europe’s elite competition with the Hoops. However, expectations will be slightly higher at the French club.
The move may lead to bigger things for Dembele
Lyon is very much a finishing school for developing young players. If he impresses at the Groupama Stadium, then it could lead to a move to a bigger club in the near future, as long as he has the right attitude.
The move was a certainly a surprise one, as it looked as if the striker was going to stay at the Scottish club. Now he has joined Lyon, everybody can move on. Only time will tell who has got the better of the deal.
Who has got the better of the deal in Dembele joining Lyon?
