Robert Pires analyses how Moussa Dembele has fared since leaving Celtic

Follow us on Google Discover

Celtic sold striker Moussa Dembele to Lyon in August.

Celtic were in great form on Saturday with a 4-2 home win over Hibernian, less than 24 hours after Moussa Dembele enjoyed another superb display for Lyon.

The Bhoys sold Dembele to Lyon on deadline day in August, allowing the forward to leave after he intimated that he would like a move away.

Dembele spent two years with Celtic, joining from Fulham in 2016, and he became a hero at Parkhead with 51 goals in just 94 games for the club.

Dembele was wanted by a host of Premier League clubs over the course of his time with Celtic, but he chose a move back to France, joining Lyon for £19.7million (BBC) after they lost striker Mariano to Real Madrid.

Some wondered whether the 22-year-old could make the step up, as he had only played in the Championship and Scottish Premiership on a regular basis, but he is thriving at Lyon.

Dembele scored in the 2-0 win over Nimes on Friday night, meaning he has now hit three goals and one assist in five Ligue 1 appearances, with every indication that he will prove to be a smart investment.

Celtic fans will no doubt be keeping tabs on how their former striker is faring away from Parkhead, and Arsenal legend Robert Pires has told the Daily Mail that he has been impressed with Dembele’s start to life in French football.

Pires noted that whilst the striker did well at Celtic, Lyon were a tempting proposition, and he thinks Dembele can really help Lyon as he is fast and can score goals, even if there will still be some adaptation for him.

“Dembele played very well when he was at Celtic,” said Pires. “But, for any French player, an opportunity to sign for Lyon is very tempting because they are a very good club in France. I think he can help Lyon. He is fast, has very good skills and can score goals. He looks like he will be very important to that team.”

“But when a player changes country, they always need to adapt to this new life. Some fans and media tell you that playing football is the same everywhere. It’s not. When you change country it is totally different. In Scotland it might be more physical than France, so you need that period to adapt. But I think he has started well at Lyon, showing why they spent that money,” he added.