Karamoko Dembele has always been regarded as one of the brightest young prospects at Celtic. But in recent years, he has not been given the chances to prove himself in the first-team.
Also there was the belief that his contract was set to run out at the end of the season and most fans felt that he was on his way out of the club. But now it appears that that might not be the case.
According to Transfermarkt, his contract with the club expires in the summer of 2022, meaning he will have another year left on his deal after the current campaign.
As a result, it looks like the club might have had the option to extend his deal by a year. When Dembele had signed his first professional contract with the Hoops, Celtic’s official website had said:
"CELTIC are delighted to announce that Karamoko Dembele has signed his first full-time professional contract with the club, in a deal that sees him remain at Paradise until at least 2021."
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Dembele might remain at Celtic beyond this season
The ‘at least 2021’ portion looks very significant now. Thus, his appearance against Aberdeen as an 80th minute substitute makes sense. And one would hope that this is just the start of him getting more minutes with the Hoops.
The talent has never been in question when it comes to the youngster. You have to remember, at point of time he was linked with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.
It is clear that Neil Lennon did not feel that Dembele was ready to make his mark on the first-team, which is why he barely featured under the Northern Irish manager. But with a new manager expected to come in over the next couple of months, things could change for the 18-year-old.
While he might very well have another year left on his contract it remains to be seen whether the club decide to hold on to him or let him leave in the summer for a transfer fee, rather than risk seeing him become a free agent just a year later.