Queens Park Rangers have completed the signing of former Celtic and Blackpool forward Karamoko Dembélé on loan from French outfit Brest.
The 21-year-old spent last season with the Seasiders, scoring nine goals, and has been a rumoured transfer target for several clubs, including Bolton Wanderers. Birmingham City and Derby County were also mentioned as possible destinations for the attacker, but all three clubs are now disappointed.
“I am really excited. I have heard amazing things about it here and I just can’t wait to get started, to be honest,” said Dembélé, who made headlines at Celtic by appearing for the Under 20 side at the age of 13.
“This is a great platform for me to progress in my career. I spoke to Martí (Cifuentes) and I spoke to Christian (Nourry) and I really felt the ‘want’, which I think is important. The conversations I had with them were good and from there, my decision was made.”
Having come through the ranks at Celtic, Dembélé bounced between England and Scotland at youth level, representing Scotland at Under 16 and Under 17 and England at Under 15, Under 17, and Under 18. His early form looked to be putting him on a collision course with regular football, but he struggled to impact Celtic’s first team and moved to Brest in 2022.
He has appeared just 18 times for the French side, 16 of those in Ligue 1. Last season, he moved to Bloomfield Road, where he helped Neil Critchley’s side get within touching distance of the play-offs, only for them to miss out on the final day of the season.
He moves to a QPR side rejuvenated under manager Marti Cifuentes. They started the 2023/24 campaign horribly, with Gareth Ainsworth sacked and a season of struggle in the offing. Cifuentes arrived and installed renewed hope, and by the time the season finished, they were clear of the dropzone and looking up the table.
Dembélé arrives at the same time as a second new face, Koki Saito. He’s represented Japan up to the Under 23 level and has spent two seasons with Sparta Rotterdam on loan from Belgian side Lommel. He will also spend a season on loan at Loftus Road.
Writer’s View
QPR needed reinforcements; their 3-1 defeat to West Brom at the weekend exposed their lack of depth, with little quality in the final third. The manager will be hoping two flying wingers will help provide a few bullets for his strikers to fire at goal.
Dembélé has been hot property over the summer, but Blackpool and Birmingham were always at a disadvantage when it came to recruitment, as the player was sure to want a step up. QPR are a sleeping giant – they’re a reputable London club with a good fanbase and roots in the local community that make them more accessible than some big Premier League sides, which in turn surely makes them an attractive prospect for young players.
It’ll be exciting to see if the former child prodigy can finally begin to recreate that form at a good level of football.
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