Peterborough striker Siriki Dembele has requested a move away from the League One side. According to Tom Barclay of The Sun, the 24-year-old wants to leave the Weston Homes stadium. He has five goals and five assists this season, with a host of clubs interested in his signature.
Siriki Dembele Asks to Leave Peterborough
Confirmed By Darragh MacAnthony
The chariman of the club has confirmed the rumours of a transfer request on his Instagram. This comes not long after reports emerged that Barry Fry, the club’s director of football, was confident in retaining their players.
The club will try and convince Dembele to stay, but the interest in his signature will be hard to fend off. A fee for Dembele is unknown, though they will seek a hefty profit for his services. Peterborough, who sit fifth in the league, will need to find a quick replacement to maintain their prospects of promotion.
Following in Ivan Toney’s Footsteps
Dembele spent last season learning from Brentford’s star striker Ivan Toney, who joined the Bees for a minimum of £5 million in the summer. Toney is the Championship’s leading scorer, hitting 16 goals in his first 22 appearances. Clubs eying Dembele know such an output is unreasonable to expect, but it is the player’s potential that is turning heads.
Both joined Peterborough in the summer of 2018. Despite Toney stealing all the spotlight, Dembele performed well last season too. Despite only playing 25 league matches in the past campaign, Dembele scored five goals and assisted eight more. Peterborough did well to keep hold of Dembele in the summer, who can play in wide positions if needs be.
Big Clubs Interested
In November, TEAMtalk dropped the names of clubs that are interested in his signature. Celtic supposedly lead the race, as he is the brother of young sensation Karamoko Dembele. The Scottish club want Siriki to ensure Karamoko’s future in Glasgow.
From the Championship, Brentford, Queens Park Rangers, Derby County, and Watford have been linked. And, after seeing Toney’s success in the Championship, Siriki might want to follow his career path. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace are the Premier League clubs linked.
Peterborough do not seem to have a plan for Dembele’s departure as even their chairman admitted the request was a surprise. The director of football did not predict a player wanting to leave. Dembele could very well be convinced to stay until the summer considering other clubs usually are less willing to spend in the January transfer window. But, if the right offer comes in, Peterborough will need to think fast to replace their newest goal-scoring sensation.
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