Ousmane Dembele has been terrible business for FC Barcelona. Signed from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 for €105 million plus a reported €40 million in add-ons, Cules expected the French international to be the perfect like-for-like replacement for Neymar and the ideal partner for Lionel Messi upfront.
Three years on, it is now fair to say that Dembele has flopped alarmingly so far.
Having only played 74 matches and scored 19 goals since his arrival (and, perhaps more worryingly, only 9 appearances and 1 goal this season), it is understandable that the Barcelona board are looking to offload him to recoup some of the cash invested in his signing.
As I have discussed in far more detail at The Barcelona Podcast, I would be willing to part ways with Dembele but only under one condition: That Barca get at least 75% of the money they paid for him three summers ago in return.
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Despite Dembele having been more prone to injuries than Wile E. Coyote since joining the Camp Nou giants, I sincerely believe that the only way for him is up. Given the strict diet and controlled measures that Barca implemented following his latest injury, this surely must be the end of the Frenchman’s continued misfortune – although we can’t be sure of that, unfortunately.
When on top form, which I admit has been rare since 2017, Dembele has shown glimpses of brilliance, blistering pace and not always using Messi as a safety outlet when under pressure. All of those traits are positives which, regrettably, are not common within the Barcelona dressing room in recent times.
Dembele is still only 23 years of age and, despite his constant battles with himself on and off the pitch, still has a lot to give. Teammates and coaches, who are the ones who know him best, have always admitted that the French international has plenty of potential for improvement and I am willing to give him another year to prove his worth.
Unless a remarkably high offer lands on Josep Maria Bartomeu’s desk soon, I strongly believe the Blaugranes should give the World Cup winner another chance – His final chance.
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