The rebirth of a boy wonder: How Blackpool breathed new life into KARAMOKO DEMBELE - who became an internet sensation at Celtic only to disappear from view - with Premier League clubs among those circling Neil Critchley has helped boy wonder Karamoko Dembele re-ignite his career After dazzling at Celtic, the youngster vanished, but is now back on track IAN LADYMAN: The Premier League title race went to the wire, it is not boring compared to other European leagues! - Listen to the It's All Kicking Off! podcast By Scott Fleming Published: 19:38 EDT, 20 May 2024 | Updated: 19:41 EDT, 20 May 2024 e-mail View comments In March this year, English League One leaders Portsmouth travelled north to take on a Blackpool side sitting 20 points behind them in mid-table. Halfway through a 17-game unbeaten run that would eventually see them crowned champions, the visitors’ strong chances of victory were further boosted by the dismissal of former Scotland striker Jordan Rhodes just before half-time. Against all odds, Neil Critchley’s Blackpool side held on for a creditable 0-0 draw.
They did so partly thanks to the tackles, blocks and tireless tracking back of one young midfielder in particular. A player who was long ago written off in some Scottish football circles as too small and physically fragile to ever make it at a high level of the game. ‘When we went down to 10 men in that Portsmouth game, we played 3-5-1, and Kaddy was one of the three midfield players,’ Critchley tells Mail.