Celtic may have to battle to keep hold of their best players in the upcoming summer transfer window, amid interest from elsewhere in their big talents.
Hoops star Matt O'Riley has already been touted with a possible exit from Parkhead before next season, as English side Leeds have been linked with a swoop for the attacking midfielder.
Brendan Rodgers, who returned to Glasgow to replace Ange Postecoglou in the dugout last summer, has already had to deal with losing some key figures during his second spell at the club.
Portuguese forward Jota was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad and central defender Carl Starfelt left to join Celta Vigo in Spain, whilst Aaron Mooy retired before the 2023/24 campaign.
The Northern Irish manager is, of course, used to this model at Celtic as many players moved on from Paradise during his initial spell in Scotland.
One player Rodgers hit the jackpot with during his first time with the club was French centre-forward Moussa Dembele, who was a big hit in Scotland and has since seen his value plummet.
How much Celtic paid to sign Moussa Dembele
The Scottish giants took advantage of the striker's expiring contract with English side Fulham to snap him up on a 'free' transfer in the summer of 2016.
However, due to his age, Celtic needed to pay a compensation fee to the Cottagers as they had developed him through their academy and attempted to pin him down to a contract extension, but had failed to do so.
The Hoops eventually paid a development fee of just £500k to Fulham, which was a bargain on paper after his superb campaign in the second tier in England.
Appearances
43
1
2
46
Goals
15
1
1
17
Assists
7
0
0
7
Minutes played
3,360
65
114
3,539
Minutes per goal
224
65
57
208
Appearances
29
8
12
49
Goals
17
10
5
32
Assists
8
1
0
9
Minutes played
1,916
656
802
3,374
Minutes per goal
113
66
160
105
As you can see in the table above, Dembele racked up a staggering 32 goals in all competitions during his first campaign in Glasgow, with one every 105 minutes on average in all competitions.
He followed that up with 16 goals and nine assists in 39 matches in the 2017/18 season for Celtic, which was still a solid return in front of goal, even if it was not as spectacular as the previous term.
His downturn in form did not dissuade Lyon, though, and the Hoops raked in a huge £20m fee for the player they paid just £500k for two years earlier.
Moussa Dembele's current market value
At the time of writing (24/04/2024), Transfermarkt values Dembele at €12m (£10m) and that is a whopping £10m less than the amount the Scottish giants secured for his services almost six years ago, which shows that the club struck gold when they cashed in on him.
At the age of 27, the former France U21 international should be in the prime years of his career but his current market valuation is the lowest it has been on Transfermarkt since his time at Celtic in 2018.
Dembele, who was once hailed as "clinical" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, currently plays for Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, and has scored 11 goals in 22 games for the club, who he joined on a free transfer from Lyon last summer.
Instead of playing in one of Europe's major leagues and kicking on to enjoy a great career at the top level after his £20m exit from Celtic, the forward is currently playing in Saudi Arabia and is worth significantly less – at the age of 27 – than he was as a 22-year-old youngster in Glasgow.
2018/19
33
15
5
2019/20
27
16
2
2020/21
16
1
0
2021/22
30
21
4
2022/23
23
3
0
It has not all been downhill for him since his move from the Hoops, though, as he enjoyed some great seasons with Lyon in France before his move to the Pro League, as you can see in the table above.
Dembele was an inconsistent performer with Lyon, scoring 15 or more league goals in three seasons but also firing in fewer than four in two terms, and that may be why a move to Saudi Arabia came up in 2023.
He was coming off the back of a return of three goals in 23 Ligue 1 games for the French side and completed a free transfer to Al-Ettifaq, where the gem has caught the eye this term.
Overall, Rodgers hit the jackpot with Dembele as Celtic enjoyed his services for two years, made a huge profit on him, and have now watched on as his market value has plummeted since leaving the club – suggesting that they played a blinder to get £20m for him.
