Brendan Rodgers and Celtic seem a pretty perfect fit, and with Celtic streaking away with the Scottish League title at the moment, and performing creditably in an absurdly difficult Champions League group, his results - along with his habit of being tap into the mood of the supporters and consequently say the right thing - means that Rodgers is a very popular man in Glasgow at the moment.
Also adding to his reputation among Celtic fans has been his ability to sign players of exceptional promise: with all due respect, we could not imagine Scott Sinclair or Moussa Dembele moving to Scotland to play under Ronny Deila. Rodgers' work with young players was one of the reasons he was given the Liverpool job, and an interview with Moussa Dembele in today's Guardian adds further substance to the above.
Dembele reveals that he was close to adding to the Moussa Dembele quota at Tottenham, only for a two-hour meeting with Brendan Rodgers to convince him to reject a move to the Premier League in favour of one to Scotland.
Last January, a fee had been agreed between Spurs and Fulham for Dembele, only for the deal to break down when Fulham insisted he would be loaned back to the club for the rest of the season: Pochettino wanted Dembele at Spurs immediately, and the deal broke down. It was expected that Spurs would resurrect the deal in the summer.
That didn't happen, however, and Rodgers convinced Dembele that Celtic was the best place to further his development. Here's a line from that Guardian interview:
Rodgers’s meeting with Dembélé in London was a defining moment. During it he explained, in great detail, how he intended to use him and, crucially, how he would improve him. What left an impression on Dembélé was how much Rodgers knew about him and his game.
Fair play to Rodgers. While Dembele won't spend his whole career at Celtic, it is a coup for the club to have him in his early twenties. He will score a bagful of goals, and earn them a pretty tidy transfer fee.
[Guardian]
