Who is Karamoko Dembele? ‘Next Lionel Messi’ wanted by Sheffield Wednesday and Everton

Former Celtic teenager Dembele is the latest; Reports claim that Sheffield Wednesday have “made contact” with Brest over a possible loan move for the 21-year-old.

It comes after Dembele’s impressive loan spell with Blackpool in the last round of League One, in which the London-born winger scored eight and assisted 13 in 39 league appearances.

Here we break down Karamoko’s career so far and look at a potential summer move to Hillsborough…

Karamoko Dembele career so far

Dembele’s family moved to Scotland shortly after his birth and in 2013, Dembele joined Celtic’s youth academy.

He signed a professional contract with the club in 2018 at the age of 15, making his first team debut in 2019.

Later that year, Dembele would become the youngest player ever to play for a Scottish team in European competition, playing for Celtic against CFJ Cluj in the Europa League at the age of 16.

After that, however, Dembele would make just eight more first-team appearances for Celtic before joining Brest on a free transfer in 2022.

Injuries and lack of form hampered Dembele’s progress at Celtic and in his first season with Brest he failed to register a goal contribution in 17 total appearances.

But he burst into life with Blackpool in League One, winning three end-of-season awards at the club after registering 23 goal contributions in all competitions.

What they say about Karamoko Dembele

Neil Lennon in charge of Celtic: “He’s the kind of player you want at Celtic.

“He gets the crowd off their feet with his football intelligence. Obviously we have to keep a lid on it, but it’s great that fans got a glimpse of the future.

“The kid is 16 years old and we just want to develop him in the right way. He trained with the first team and I didn’t hesitate to give him 45 minutes.”

Blackpool manager Neil Critchley: “He’s a brilliant footballer, I love watching him play. It’s exciting, it’s something different in this league.

“He’s very brave, takes the ball to any area of ​​the pitch and supports himself – he’s got real guts. He’s a lovely boy and great to work with.”

Karamoko Dembele player profile

• Full name: Karamoko Dembele
• Age: 21
• Height: 1.67m (5ft 5in)
• Nationality: English
• Date of birth: February 22, 2003
• Place of birth: Lambeth, London
• Position: Winger
• Club: Brest (France)

Karamoko Dembele highlights

Analysis of Karamoko Dembele to Sheffield Wednesday

Following the highlights of his turbulent season at Blackpool, it’s easy to see why Sheffield Wednesday and also the likes of Everton, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and West Ham are keen to sign the teenager.

Not only is he quick and a very talented dribbler, he also showed with Blackpool that he can produce that end product; finishing from close range and slipping team-mates with clever balls into the final third.

The next step for Dembele, however, remains unclear. He will want to step up in terms of quality next round and playing Brest in Ligue 1 might be the next logical step.

But Brest finished 3rd in the French top flight this season, qualifying for Champions League football, so whether or not there will be game time available remains to be seen.

And the same thinking could be applied if Dembele moves to a Premier League club, so for Sheffield Wednesday, a loan move for Dembele could work for everyone involved.

He is very similar to Poveda in the way he plays. But Dembele, who was once dubbed ‘the next Lionel Messi’, seems capable of providing much more certainty in terms of fitness.

There are other Championship clubs interested, including Portsmouth. But if Wednesday can secure other early transfer deals and express his conviction for next season, then S6 could be a very attractive destination for Dembele later in the summer.

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