Brendan Rodgers’ time at Celtic ended sourly, but it is worth remembering the amount of good things he achieved in Glasgow.
His move to Leicester City halfway during the previous campaign certainly didn’t go down well with supporters, but he had taken the Bhoys to a double-treble, and his good work allowed Neil Lennon to take over the mantle and secure the third trio of trophies in a row.
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His signing of Moussa Dembele also deserves credit, purely for his foresight. The former France U21 international was signed on a free transfer from Fulham in 2016, and his performances for Celtic convinced Lyon to part with £19.7m for his services just two years later.
In August of 2018, he was worth just £6.3m as per Transfermarkt. Following his most recent valuation update earlier this month, though, his value now stands at a huge £45m – that represents a rise of over 800% in less than 24 months.
Here, we look at three reasons behind that increase…
Lyon move
Dembele’s form during his time in Scotland made him one of the bargains of the century north of the border. In 94 matches, he scored 51 goals, also providing 18 assists along the way. His goal scoring exploits weren’t restricted to the Scottish Premiership either – he scored six goals in 18 Champions League matches, not a bad return at all.
There is only so far you can go at Celtic though – those who want to reach the very top must depart to realise the full extent of their potential.
His move to Lyon meant that he would be playing in front of a far bigger worldwide audience, with his name becoming more well-known.
That, in turn, has only increased his market value.
2019/20 campaign
The 23-year-old’s first year with Les Gones was solid – he scored 20 goals in 46 games in all competitions, but it is this season that has really seen him set his homeland alight. In 42 matches, he already has 22 goals, including 16 in the French top tier – only Kylian Mbappe (18) and Wissam Ben Yedder (18) have managed more.
In such a short amount of time, he has shown that he has the ability to adapt to one of Europe’s top five leagues, and that only pushed his value up.
Man United and Chelsea interest
Whilst Lyon are a big name in France, they lack power on the continent compared to the likes of PSG, for example. As such, their star players will be linked with other sides in the biggest leagues, and Dembele is no different.
Both Manchester United and Chelsea are said to have been interested in him in the past few weeks and months. The latter were said to have made a move for him in January, but their offer was rejected, whilst the former is said to be a dream destination for the striker.
According to Sky Sports, though, Lyon’s sporting director Jean-Michel Aulas wants €100m (£92.3m) for his services – that is some way above his current Transfermarkt valuation.