Karamoko Dembele reaches post Celtic stardom as ex-wonderkid could spark transfer frenzy

Former Celtic wonderkid Karamoko Dembele has finally kickstarted his career on loan at Blackpool. And now, a queue of clubs could be set to battle it out for his signature this summer.

The diminutive winger was tipped as the next big thing at Parkhead after shooting to stardom by making his debut for Celtic's Under-20s at the age of just 13. Dembele's sub appearance against Hearts' second string that day made headlines across the globe and put him on the radar of some of the world's biggest clubs including Barcelona and Manchester City.

But the pint-sized attacker's career hasn't panned out the way most people had expected and he made just a handful of first-team appearances for the Hoops before being released in 2022. He soon joined Ligue 1 outfit Stade Brest but endured an underwhelming debut campaign in France after just 15 outings from the bench.

From starring in Nike adverts as a teenager alongside global superstars Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, Dembele was brought crashing back down to earth last summer as he was farmed out on a season-long loan to Bloomfield Road. Given his slight figure and the rough-and-tumble nature of EFL League One football, Dembele's switch to the Seasiders did raise eyebrows.

But the London-born starlet has made his doubters eat their words by delivering on his undoubted potential and playing a starring role for Neil Critchley's side. Dembele earned a Young Player of the Year nomination having chipped in with eight goals and 12 assists across the campaign, racking up 46 appearances overall.

He will likely have played his final game for the Tangerines when they round off their campaign away to Reading on Saturday - unless they can leapfrog Oxford United and Lincoln City on the final day to reach the play-off semi-finals. Seasiders boss Critchley recently admitted he would love to have the fans' favourite back on loan next season, saying: "He’s never played this much football in his life, and I know he enjoys being here and in this group.

"He’s been a real top performer for us this season. We obviously want to keep good players and bring them to the football club- Kaddy is obviously one of them, but it’s not always us and what we want, players and agents have their thoughts and ideas as well. It goes without saying, if we could then he’s the type of player we’d love to have.

"He’s a brilliant footballer, I love watching him play. He’s exciting, he’s something different in this league. He’s really courageous, he takes the ball into any area of the pitch and backs himself- he’s got real bravery. He’s a lovely boy and is great to work with."

Yet while Critchley has played an influential role in kickstarting Dembele's career, the reality is that the 21-year-old will likely move on to bigger and better things, with a host of Premier League clubs linked. He could yet make the grade at parent club Stade Brest, who have exceeded all expectations this season by scaling to third spot in the French top-flight, putting them on the brink of securing automatic Champions League qualification.