Mark McGhee isn’t sure Celtic can keep hold of teenage sensation Karamoko Dembele.
Motherwell manager Mark McGhee
Motherwell boss and Scotland assistant Mark McGhee has told the Daily Mail that he thinks it could be tough for Celtic to keep hold of teenager Karamoko Dembele.
Whilst Moussa Dembele is starring for the Celtic first team having hit 12 goals in 17 games since signing from Fulham, his namesake Karamoko has grabbed all the headlines this week.
General view of Celtic Park
The playmaker is just 13 years of age, but was brought on as a substitute got the Celtic Under-20’s against Hearts earlier in the week, sparking widespread hype about his potential.
Born in London to Ivorian parents before moving to Scotland, Dembele appears to have a huge future ahead of him at Celtic, with many now excited about what he could achieve over the coming years.
A diminutive playmaker, Dembele is already mixing it with players seven years his senior – but the hype surrounding his appearance is bound to attract interest sooner rather than later.
General view inside Celtic Park
The Scottish Sun reported today that Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are all tracking Dembele ahead of possible attempts to lure him away from Glasgow.
Celtic are no strangers to that, given how Islam Feruz left them to join Chelsea having been similarly touted as a teenager – and Mark McGhee has now suggested it could be difficult to keep Dembele too.
The Motherwell boss and Scotland assistant told the Daily Mail that he has heard great things about Dembele, and hinted at an international call-up in the not-too-distant future – but claims Scottish football isn’t appealing to agents or players, meaning Celtic could face a fight over Dembele’s future.
New Motherwell manager, Mark McGhee
“I’ve heard our youth people talking about Karamoko Dembele and he’s supposed to be outstanding, fantastic,” said McGhee. “I gave Robbie Keane his debut at 16, Emile Heskey his debut at 16, and I gave other people their debuts too. If they’re good enough, it doesn’t matter, they’ re old enough. The quicker everybody brings these young players through the better for everyone.”
“Is it tough to keep these people in Scotland? That’s the game we live in. The Scottish game is not half as attractive to agents and players as other places,” he added.
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