Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson believes that Brendan Rodgers pulled off a masterstroke in convincing Celtic to dig deep to sign Moussa Dembele.

The young French hitman was available last summer after his contract with Fulham expired and despite being linked with a number of Premier League clubs was tempted north of the border to Scotland.




Dembele has been in sensational form for Celtic, keeping Leigh Griffiths out of the team and helping to power the Bhoys to their sixth consecutive Scottish league title.

For Lawrenson, Rodgers deserves massive credit for convincing Celtic to bankroll a move for Dembele, though he noted the Champions League is now the big challenge for the Bhoys, rather than the Scottish Premiership.
 


"I think the signing of Dembele was a masterstroke as they paid a lot of money", Lawrenson said on LFC TV.

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"So he convinced Dermot Desmond to put his hand in his pocket and they will get a lot of money if they want to sell Dembele.

"He [Rodgers] should win it [the Scottish Premiership], it’s the Champions League now where they go because that’s the big one.

"They didn’t do too badly in the Champions League as they were drawn with [Manchester] City and Barcelona.

"But it’s about whether they can kick on and get into the knockouts", he added.

Just 20 years old, Dembele has scored an astonishing 32 times for Celtic in all competitions this season, quickly becoming a firm fan favourite.

He was mooted as being a target for Premier League leaders Chelsea in the January transfer window and Celtic may have to fight hard to keep hold of him this coming summer.