Less than six months into his Celtic career and Moussa Dembélé is already the king of Glasgow.
Well, if anything, he’s their ‘Little Prince’, which is what TF1 dubbed Brendan Rodgers’ protégé on Sunday in their interview with the player for their football show Téléfoot.
Speaking to the French television channel, the starlet was keen to emphasise the fans’ importance for the team’s success on the pitch, and the high regard many have for it off it.
He said: “Without the fans, I don’t think it would be as big of a club. There aren’t many clubs in Europe that create the same atmosphere. Maybe one, two? If that.”
Before moving to Fulham, where he made a name for himself in the Championship, the player was a product of the Paris Saint-Germain academy, and played in the same team as other big names in European football, like Kingsley Coman, Adrien Rabiot or PSG’s new centre-back starlet Present Kimpembe.
However, Dembélé explains he felt he needed to look elsewhere to grow as a footballer.
He explained: “I didn’t feel like there was a lot of trust in the youth teams. It’s true that I would have really liked to play at the Parc des Princes one day, but I’m happy with the choices I made, and I’m happy here at Celtic.”
The 20-year-old, who arrived from Fulham on a free in the summer, has already gained a spot in Celtic Park’s heart, scoring 17 goals in his first 27 appearances for the Scottish giants, and he isn’t looking to go anywhere else for the time being.
He said: “I’ve got a four-year contract here, and I hope it can be for longer. I don’t see myself anywhere else but at Celtic.”
Asked if he could leave the club in the January transfer window, he made things very clear: “No, I won’t be leaving this winter.”
That should please half of Glasgow, at least.
