The question of ‘what next?’ for Karamoke Dembele was a subject we at The Celtic Star touched on at the beginning of the month, and it’s something Celtic fans have discussed for what feels like years – probably because it has been that long. It’s also a subject the Athletic’s Celtic correspondent has shed some light on today.
Yet Dembele remains a teenager, and approaching a contract expiry in the summer, it seems Ange Postecoglou sees something he can work with in a player with undoubted talent, self-belief in abundance, but perhaps, as Kieran Devlin has pointed to in his article in The Athletic this morning, a historical lack of application which has held him back.
Dembele was at one stage attracting a lot of interest and from top clubs but by last year it seems interest from the big-guns had dried up, with Devlin noting:
In 2021, when Dembele’s contract was approaching its expiration at Celtic, Barcelona, Manchester City and Bayern Munich were nowhere to be seen. Their interest had faded, as it had from most European elite teams.
Over the years, sources close to the youth teams and B team have cited issues over application in training and in B-team games, and this was an issue noted by sources close to the academies of some of those European sides.
However, those same sources close to Celtic also mention an improvement in that work ethic under Ange Postecoglou, even with Dembele’s limited time under the Australian given his protracted spell on the sidelines this season.
It’s interesting to note that Dembele appears to have the confidence of Ange Postecoglou, a man who does not shirk when it comes to the demands he places on his players. As such if the manager sees something in Karamoko Dembele, then most Celtic fans, given the manager’s track record with new signings and players in-situ, would trust him implicitly to make the right call regarding Dembele’s attitude as well as his footballing abilities – and Devlin in his Athletic article seems to suggest the manager’s belief in the player may be at odds with others at the club –
‘Postecoglou keeps surprising those sources with his faith in Dembele, and maybe the winger will surprise everyone by giving it another go at Celtic and under a coach who loves working with dynamic attacking players.’
That is perhaps the crux of the matter. Dembele has the ability to be a Celtic first team player of that there is no doubt, yet for someone lauded so young he’s had limited first team exposure. Instead however, perhaps a limited belief has been shown in him behind the scenes and it’s at odds with the belief Dembele has in himself – leading to frustration rather than a lack of work-rate.
If then Postecoglou does have confidence in the player, and Dembele recognises that, is it such a leap to assume the application perhaps missing thus far, will flourish under a manager who has a playing philosophy that should suit Dembele right down to the ground and recognises his talents?
There is a real chance now for Karamoke Dembele to push himself into first team contention. After all James Forrest is now over thirty, not exactly the prime years for a speedy, direct winger, meanwhile Jota is a loan signing at present, and Mikey Johnston is also finding consistency and injury a regular barrier.
With only Liel Abada a certainty to be a genuine challenger for a first team jersey, the road to Ange Postecoglou’s team is very much open for Karamoko Dembele. And it may be with the confidence of a manager behind him, that the alleged lack of application may turn out to be a result of a lack of faith and we’ll soon see Dembele fulfil the potential we all know he has.
Niall J
