Karamoko Dembele has been speaking about his move to France and why things didn’t work out at Celtic.
The tricky winger signed for FC Brest at the beginning of July, officially cutting his ties with the Scottish Champions.
Dembele grew up at Celtic and fans have been watching his progress since YouTube clips of his skills appeared. Supporters were hoping they had a player in the making and were eagerly awaiting his rise to the first team.
When Dembele was ready for the breakthrough, it was the bhoys attempt at ten in a row during the lockdown campaign. Neil Lennon wasn’t comfortable bringing youth players into the fold and with no reserve team football, the winger stagnated.
When it came to the beginning of last season, Ange Postecoglou played Dembele in a friendly, only for the player to pick up an injury that would rule him out for the majority of the season.
Karamoko is ready to show what he can do at France, but believes one of the reasons behind his Celtic exit is Ange simply didn’t rate him
Speaking to Ouest France, he said: “It’s been very difficult for me. When you play so young, there is lots of pressure.
“It is what it is. I deal with it well. I enjoy my football so this does not matter. I love the French culture and I watch a lot of French football, the big teams like Marseille and PSG. I have also watched a lot of Brest since I came here so I know a lot about the team. I am here to play as much football as I can, have fun and do my best. I am actually strong for my size but I don’t think size matters in football. You have other qualities to compensate for size. Physicality has never been an issue for me.
Asked about why it didn’t quite work out at Celtic, Karamoko was honest and believes Ange didn’t rate him highly: “A lot of reasons I can not say, but I think the manager didn’t really like the way I played or saw something that was missing in my game. But I am here to prove what I can do. I like the way Brest play and it is a good league. These are all the factors that came to me picking Brest. I like entertaining fans and having fun. I like to score goals and do all the things an attacker needs.”
Ange has very specific ideas on the players he wants in his team. Also the character, attitude and application all matter when it comes to what matters to the Celtic boss.
It wasn’t to be, and we move on. We wish Karamoko all the best.
