Do you remember the name, Karamoko Dembele? The wonderkid burst onto the football scene at a young age while at Celtic in Scotland. At just 13, he played for the club’s Under-20 side. The tiny winger, who is the younger brother of Birmingham City’s Siriki, was compared to Lionel Messi due to his stature and dribbling ability.
At the age of 13 in 2016, he played in Celtic Under-20’s 3-1 victory over Hearts. An almost comical image of the small lad coming on as a sub soon went viral.
He became a household name and represented both Scotland and England at youth level – although he hasn’t committed his international career to either nation. A few years later, during the 2018-19 season at the age of 16, he made his senior debut under Neil Lennon and also collected a Scottish Premiership winners’ medal.
That same year, he was named by French outlet L’Equipe as one of the six “outstanding young players set to revolutionise the game.” They wrote Dembele has “extraordinary acceleration and elimination abilities.” They also stated that he “seems destined for a great career” and that he’s “vivid and agile”. He was named alongside Ansu Fati, Joelson Fernandes, Sebastiano Esposito, Mohamed Ihattaren and Karim Adeyemi. It’s fair to say those six shouts weren’t totally successful, but huge things were expected of Dembele.
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Things haven’t exactly gone to plan for the youngster since his senior debut, though, and he hasn’t skyrocketed to the top of football like many thought he would. Not yet, anyway.
Dembele’s Celtic Career was Halted By Injury
A serious ankle injury limited his development
Despite showing plenty of promise, Dembele played just 10 times for Celtic’s senior side and that was largely down to a serious ankle injury. His most active campaign came during the 2020-21 season when he played five times for the Hoops. He also scored his one and only goal for the club that year in a 4-0 win over St. Johnstone.
As his contract expired in 2022, he decided to bring an end to his time at Celtic and left the club on a free transfer after nine years. He looked for a new challenge and joined Ligue 1 side, Stade Brest.
He Hasn’t Been a Hit in Ligue 1
Dembele has struggled at Brest
Dembele signed a four-year deal with the French club and spoke of his excitement at the time in an interview with Goal:
“I came to Brest because I saw that the project presented by Greg Lorenzi was good. It’s something that suits me and I think I can have some playing time here. It was a great opportunity that presented itself to me and it interested me. I’m very explosive, I like to have fun and give it to the fans and I like to score and win.”
However, he certainly would have liked to play more than he did during the 2022-23 campaign. Dembele made just 17 appearances in all competitions, including 15 in Ligue 1. However, he played very much a bit-part role – failing to start a single league match. In fact, many of those substitute appearances came in the final 10 minutes, with his earliest cameo coming in the 66th minute.
His 15-minute showing in the final game of 22/23 against Rennes was his first appearance since February after being left out of the team for three months. In those 17 games, Dembele failed to score or register an assist. Brest finished a respectable 14th in the table. He has just two more years left on his contract at the French club and will be hoping for plenty more opportunities in the future. However, you wouldn’t blame him for fearing that he may have made the wrong move when deciding to leave Celtic.
At 20, Dembele would have been hoping to be playing regular first-team football – whether that was at Celtic or at a European giant. Instead, he was picking up a handful of minutes each week in Ligue 1 if he’s lucky. Fortunately, a loan spell away from the club was on the cards, and it brought significantly more success for the youngster.
Dembele Joined Blackpool on Loan
He thrived with the Tangerines
There’s a reason Brest offered Dembele a four-year contract, and they will be hoping he can become the player they expected him to be in the future. But in the meantime, they’ve sent him on loan to develop, with him him spending the 2023/24 season on loan at Blackpool in League One. And, boy, did he deliver.
In the English third tier, Dembele was nothing short of sublime. He played 48 times in all competitions for the Tangerines and the regular game time has done wonders for his development. The now 21-year-old chalked up 23 goal contributions for Blackpool as they narrowly missed out on a playoff spot, and he was awarded for his excellent form with a trifecta of awards. He was named the Players’ Player of the Season, the Supporters’ Player of the Season and the Junior Seasiders’ Player of the Season, highlighting just how impressive he was for the Lancashire club.
Dembele Now on Loan at QPR
Young talent now hoping to shine in the Championship
Despite taking his game up a level, Brest still feel that Dembele is not ready to start on a weekly basis for them just yet. Instead, he has been loaned out yet again, joining Championship side QPR for the 2024/25 season.
The 21-year-old will be hoping to take his performances to even further heights, having taken one step up the English leagues for the new term. Still in his early 20s, Dembele has vast amounts of untapped potential and could prove to be the difference between the Hoops staying up or getting relegated after a difficult 2023/24 season where they finished 18th.
If this loan goes as planned, it’s scary to think how much he could improve over the next few years. While the forward’s career might not have gone how many thought it would have thus far, a second year in England could lead to Dembele blossoming into the player many thought he could be. Whether that’s at QPR, Brest or elsewhere, though, remains to be seen.
| Karamoko Dembele’s Career So Far | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Celtic | 10 | 1 |
| Brest | 18 | 0 |
| Blackpool | 48 | 9 |
| QPR* | 0 | 0 |
| * Current club | ||
