The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[illdecide]

Think it's Rodgers, Dembele liked a tweet from C Sutton saying Rodgers had lied about selling him (or along those lines)

[Dire Ear]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45363927
Brendan Rodgers is eager to keep Moussa Dembele, while signing Filip Benkovic and Youssouf Mulumbu

[nrico2006]

Dunno why there is a big fuss about Dembele anyway, his goal record is average enough in Scotland.  I laughed at the talk of £40 and £50 million pound bids for him a while back, there have been players who have scored more than him going for under a million.

[lynchbhoy]

I'd say get shod of Dembele, a brilliant player when fully fit in some games between his constant run of injuries. Celtic can't depend on an injury plagued striker, no matter how talented he is. Griffiths has his injuries as well but he always seem to bounce back with a verve and hits the ground running.

Fully agree
I'd have sold him a year ago when his stock was higher after a good season... but after all his injuries 20 million might be as much as he might fetch...as opposed for the 30 million or more he coukd have gone for in the pre world cup year signing frenzy !!

[illdecide]

Celtic striker Moussa Dembele has completed a £19.7m move to Lyon, the French club have said.

The Scottish champions announced on Friday night that they had accepted an offer for the French under-21 forward.

The Ligue 1 club's president Jean-Michel Aulas said Dembele has signed a five-year deal.

Manager Brendan Rodgers said earlier on Friday that a "significant" bid had been rejected for the 22-year-old, and that he did not expect him to be sold.

However, in a statement, Rodgers said the fresh bid had been accepted "to serve the best interests" of "the culture and environment" at Celtic.

"The board have been very supportive to me on this issue," Rodgers added.

Dembele sat out Thursday's win over Suduva after Lyon's bid emerged.

The France Under-21 international later posted two tweets, containing messages which read: "A man, without his word, is nothing. A real man keeps his word", and "A lie has many variations, the truth has none".

On Friday, he made a brief appearance on the club's Lennoxtown training pitch before retreating indoors.

He is two years into a four-year contract with the Scottish champions.

[Over the Bar]

£20M decent enough. Which posters suggested last year he wouldn't be sold for less than £30-£40M?

[ned]

Dembele has the ability to be one of the best, injuries permitting. He is only 20 and either injury lay offs will lessen with time or he will be like Michael Owen and has peaked young. If all falls kindly he will eventually be sold for a similar fee to VVD. Sorry to see him go especially so late and no replacement coming in.

[Milltown Row2]

With all the crap going on is Rangers 4/1 not worth a cheeky £20?

[nrico2006]

Dembele has the ability to be one of the best, injuries permitting. He is only 20 and either injury lay offs will lessen with time or he will be like Michael Owen and has peaked young. If all falls kindly he will eventually be sold for a similar fee to VVD. Sorry to see him go especially so late and no replacement coming in.

He is 22. His scoring record in Scotland wasn't very impressive.

[Insane Bolt]

With all the crap going on is Rangers 4/1 not worth a cheeky £20?

Lafferty 12/1 first goal scorer is where my £20 is going

[illdecide]

I know this is a different Sevco team with a different manager and Celtic have been in better places than they are right now but anytime over the last 2 years when questions have been asked about them they delivered (domestically). We will see tomorrow if they can step up again and deliver, this may be the game to get them back on track.

As for Dembele...It was poor that we couldn't replace him but it was good enough money for him TBH, BR had to take him out of training as he wasn't being very unprofessional and Dembele himself pushed the transfer through. BR done the right thing and sold him as you can't have someone being disruptive in training. BR will prob start with L Griffiths up front on his own and have Edouard to bring on for last 30 mins, hopefully we'll be 2-0 up by that stage.

[ned]

Dembele has the ability to be one of the best, injuries permitting. He is only 20 and either injury lay offs will lessen with time or he will be like Michael Owen and has peaked young. If all falls kindly he will eventually be sold for a similar fee to VVD. Sorry to see him go especially so late and no replacement coming in.

He is 22. His scoring record in Scotland wasn't very impressive.

Thought he was still 20! Anyway my other points stand. Will be interesting to see how he does in CL against Man City.

[Main Street]

An ice cold shower on the cards for Gerrard and hopefully an early one for Lafferty. 3 nil to Celtic.

[Targetman]

Good game tomorrow to get the the atmosphere lifted around Celtic Pk, we still have the same players that tanked them last season minus Dembele, 2-1/3-1 to us and there could be a red card or two (Lafferty and Morelos!!) Hail Hail!!

[ned]

As easy as any victory against them last year. They really aren't much better.