Yes, the departure of Ousmane Dembélé is a blow
FC Barcelona cannot currently afford to lose a player of the caliber of Ousmane Dembélé. Admittedly, he is an irregular player, but he is also a player capable of making a difference when the team is going through a difficult moment in a match. And players like that, Xavi does not have a lot under his belt, in a context where Ansu Fati is struggling to return to his best level, where Raphinha alternates between good and average and where Ferran Torres has not convinced. We can say that Ousmane Dembélé is the best winger in Barça at the moment, or at least the one who is most able to make the difference in the last meters. From there, it’s hard not to consider his departure as bad news.
In addition, his profile as a dribbler and capable of making differences with the ball remains quite rare, and above all, expensive. What are the good wingers available in the market today? Suffice to say that finding a replacement will be very difficult, especially since the Catalans will only recover 25 million euros in this operation. No need to get a shoe size…
Beyond sporting considerations, it is also a blow to the image of FC Barcelona. Losing one of its most highly rated players – for a derisory sum, moreover – and without having the possibility of doing anything, still reflects the image of a weak club, now below other European teams in terms of of power and prestige. Joan Laporta, who declared not so long ago that for him Dembélé is better than Mbappé, sees a player considered important by his coach leave for only 25 million euros a year after his extension. Some will say that it is better than for 0€ as it was almost the case last year, but it remains a ridiculous sum given the caliber of the player and the deal made with the agent of the tricolor international last year. the latter is totally amateurish.
No, FC Barcelona will recover
Even if Ousmane Dembélé had some good periods, in the first part of last season in particular, and that in a favorable context he is a very differential player, his record in Barcelona is very insufficient. Arrived in 2017, he simply did not have a full season at a high level, or at least no season at the height of a player for whom the club paid more than 100 million euros. And even today, despite Xavi’s support, few see Dembélé as a key and reliable part of Xavi’s system, as Ter Stegen, Araujo, Pedri or Lewandowski can be. We expect a 26-year-old player to bring certainties, and not just the hope of finally seeing him be regular for a full season, as was still the case this summer. Barça does not lose such an important player.
In the continuation of what has just been said, getting rid of Dembélé would also make it possible to turn a page, and there would not necessarily be a need to take a player resembling him. In this sense, Xavi could thus align his system with four central midfielders with more ease, he who particularly likes this device in big games. The arrival of Gündoğan could allow the former legend of Roja to release a quartet with the German, De Jong, Pedri and Gavi in support of two attackers. For the future, the departure of Dembélé already opens doors to certain young people like Lamine Yamal, the youngster from La Masia with the most interesting potential of the moment, or Victor Roque, who will arrive in a year. Two players who hold all the cards to do at least as well as Dembouz.
Finally, even if the amount that FC Barcelona will recover remains low given the status of the tricolor winger, these 25 million euros and especially the salary saved will allow the Blaugranas, in a difficult financial situation, to strengthen. We know that Xavi is calling for reinforcements, and that the club is working on the arrival of a right-back, while a defensive midfielder would also be welcome according to the Catalan media. The sale of Dembélé would make it possible to recruit a size on this right side of the defense, one of the weak points of the team.
