New signing Olivier Ntcham wants French forward Moussa Dembele to stay at Celtic.
Celtic new boy Olivier Ntcham hopes that star player Moussa Dembele would stick around at Parkhead for a few more years.
Ntcham joined earlier this month for a fee of £4.5 million, to become Brendan Rodgers’ third signing of the summer.
In the process, he becomes Celtic’s most expensive player since Scott Brown joined from Hibs a decade ago.
The French midfielder became close friends with Dembele during their progression through Les Bleus’ youth ranks, and played together from the under-16 level all the way up to under-21.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele
Dembele enjoyed a fabulous debut 2016/17 season with Celtic, where he scored 32 goals for the Bhoys helping them to win the domestic treble by remaining unbeaten throughout.
The French forward’s remarkable rise has caught the attention of heavyweight European clubs, including the likes of Chelsea and AC Milan.
Ntcham hopes that Dembele will continue playing at Celtic for more years to come, and the duo can form a deadly combo at the Scottish club.
He has hailed Dembele as “top class”, saying it is no surprise to see how well he has progressed in his career.
“He was skinny but that was never a problem. He always scored. Always,” said Ntcham, as quoted by The Daily Record. “He was a striker who would score in every game. He’d score every time even if he didn’t play so good.
“After a while, if you haven’t played good you just try to improve the things you didn’t do well. But for scoring he was always top class. I always hoped he would go on to play for some of the best clubs.
“Before he was just a striker who scored goals. Of course you need to improve in the game. Every season Moussa has been progressing so it is no surprise to see how well he has been doing in his career.
“I always felt we had a good understanding because we always played together. I would provide him with the assists for goals – it’s my worth.
“You have to ask him the question if he will be stay around Celtic for more years. But, for me, yes I hope so.”
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele in action
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