Celtic’s Karamoko Dembele is reportedly set to choose a future with England.
According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic talent Karamoko Dembele has chosen to play for England at international level rather than Scotland.
The Bhoys have been excited about Dembele’s progress for a couple of years now, with the teenager regularly playing above his age range because of his huge talent.
Dembele made his Celtic Under-20 debut at 13, signed his first professional deal at 15 in December of last year and made his senior debut for the Bhoys in May at 16.
Touted for a huge future, the winger hasn’t actually featured for Celtic this season but remains in the headlines, this time because he’s settling on playing for England.
The London-born talent has played for England at Under-15 and Under-17 levels, but also featured for Scotland at Under-16 and Under-17’s, whilst he could have played for the Ivory Coast too.
Having featured for England over this international break, Dembele has now allegedly settled on playing for the Three Lions, in what is a huge blow for Scottish football.
Additionally, it may just be a small boost for Arsenal in the long-term. TEAMtalk recently reported that Arsenal are eyeing a move to lure Dembele away from Celtic in 2020, potentially offering him a move back to London.
It’s difficult to become an England international whilst playing in Scotland, as Scott Sinclair found at the peak of his powers with Celtic, and Dembele may feel that staying in Scotland into his 20’s could hold him back from senior caps.
Heading to a huge Premier League club like Arsenal could put him in the spotlight, but moving any time soon would be a little short-sighted. He’s only 16 and has a real shot at regular playing time this season, so staying with Celtic is certainly the best choice for the next couple of years – but Arsenal may just feel the decision aids their pursuit moving forward.
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