Former Celtic striker Frank McGarvey has claimed that he does not think the loss of Moussa Dembele will affect the Hoops, as Leigh Griffiths is just as good.
Griffiths, 27, has scored 98 goals since his move to Parkhead in 2014, but this record was not enough to stop him from being dropped to the third choice striker last season.
“For me, Griffiths is the best centre-forward in Scotland. He’s exceptional. Dembele is a terrific player on his day as well but I’m a huge fan of Griffiths,” McGarvey said, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“Edouard is another player who has shown what he is capable of last season after signing on loan from PSG. But Griffiths was very hard done by having to be the third choice behind them. It’s a sign of his maturity that he has been able to accept the situation.”
There has been wide speculation regarding Dembele’s future at Celtic, and a host of Premier League clubs are keeping tabs on the 21-year-old, but McGarvey believes that Griffiths should be given the chance should Dembele leave.
However, most of the concern brought forward by the former Celtic striker was not around the striker corp, but around the defence.
“They leak too many goals. Celtic have never really invested in good defenders, apart from the Martin O’Neill era. Look what happened then? They reached a European final,” he added.
OPINION
Leigh Griffiths is a wonderful talent for Celtic to have, his goals record speaks for itself, almost tallying one every game that he has played. His skillset is not dissimilar from that of Dembele, but it must be said that the former Fulham forward does bring something rather enigmatic when he plays, you can never know what to expect. Should Dembele attract enough interest to secure a move away from Parkhead, then the opportunity should arise for Griffiths to prove himself once again to Brendan Rodgers. It must be noted that the former Hibernian striker has aided Celtic in reaching the Champions League twice, scoring in qualification games across Europe, and these goals must not be taken for granted. It must be a nice feeling for Rodgers, who has enough attacking talent so that he must worry about finding all of the players minutes, instead of worrying where the next goal will come from, but Griffiths’s immediate future seems certain, much unlike that of Dembele; so the potential is there for the Scotsman to make his mark once again.