John Hartson says he’d rather have Celtic’s Moussa Dembele than West Ham’s Simone Zaza.
John Hartson
Pundit John Hartson has told The Scottish Sun that he would much rather have Celtic striker Moussa Dembele over West Ham United’s Simone Zaza.
Dembele, 20, left Fulham at the end of his contract over the summer having hit 17 goals in all competitions last season, with Celtic snapping him up to boost their attacking options.
With a hat-trick in the Old Firm derby against Celtic and a brace in last week’s Champions League clash with Manchester City, Dembele has quickly become a fan favourite at Celtic Park.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele
It’s now 12 goals in 17 games for Dembele at Celtic, and the Frenchman is currently keeping Leigh Griffiths – who hit 40 goals last season – out of the team and on the bench.
Given Dembele’s success so far, ex-Celtic striker John Hartson has unsurprisingly lauded the Frenchman, and has compared him to a striker signed by another of his former clubs.
West Ham United – where Hartson scored 24 goals in 60 games – snapped up Simone Zaza on loan from Juventus, with a view to a permanent move once he plays a certain number of games.
West Ham United’s Simone Zaza looks dejected
So far, Zaza has looked poor for West Ham, and has failed to find the net, with the Italian barely even looking like scoring for the Hammers to date.
The contrasting fortunes of Dembele and Zaza have prompted Hartson to tell The Scottish Sun that it’s ‘mind-boggling’ how Celtic managed to pay just £500,000 to sign Dembele, and can’t believe that West Ham paid ten times that amount just to take Zaza on loan, claiming he’d rather have Dembele – and it’s not even a contest.
John Hartson
“It’s mind-boggling to think Celtic only paid £500k to get him from Fulham. What an amazing piece of business that is,” said Hartson. “I wouldn’t want to put a price tag on him right now, but Dembele could smash the Scottish transfer record a few years down the line if he keeps progressing.”
“Put it this way. West Ham paid a £5million loan fee for Simone Zaza in the summer. If they want to sign the Italian permanently, it’s another £20m. Who would you rather have in your team? A 25-year-old Zaza or 20-year-old Dembele. It’s no contest,” he added.
As much as Hartson is right about Dembele so far looking far better than Zaza, it’s worth noting that Celtic only managed to sign Dembele on the cheap is because non-English clubs had to pay lower compensation to sign him than an English club would have – though that still may have been cheaper than Zaza’s loan deal.
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