The speculation surrounding the future of Moussa Dembele came to an end when the forward left Fulham and joined Celtic. The 19-year-old became the former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers' first signing at the Scottish club.
Before joining Celtic, he was linked with a move to clubs across Europe and the list includes the like of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
The Sun reported that Jose Mourinho was targeting Dembele, who scored 17 goals in the Championship last season. In addition to this, the north London side were also in the hunt and were close to completing the deal in the January transfer window.
Dembele has now revealed that he wanted assurances of regular first team football and also a club which could win titles. This convinced him to snub other clubs in order to join Celtic.
“As a young footballer you have get as much experience as you can to get to the next level and at Celtic I know I can win trophies and play European football, and it’s a massive club as well, so it feels good," Dembele told Celtic's official website.
“Last year I followed the Scottish league, so I know the Celtic team but I really need to get to know them when I get to Slovenia. I can’t wait to start training and playing football and getting to meet my new team-mates, and settle into the team. That’s what I’m looking forward to.
“As a football player, the best place you can be is on the pitch and it’s where you enjoy the most and it’s where you show people what you can do.”
Meanwhile, the teenage forward has also heaped praise on Rodgers and also expressed his delight on being the Northern Irishman's first signing as Celtic manager.
"It’s a massive thing to come to this club and to be Brendan Rodgers’ first signing is something unreal for me," he explained.
“The manager told me that Celtic is a good team for me. When I come here I will have game-time but I have to show that I can stay in the team, and it’s a good way for me to progress here with a massive stadium and the fans and the city. Everyone lives for Celtic, and for me it’s unbelievable to play for a massive club like this.”
