Arsenal are reportedly considering a summer swoop for Barcelona contract rebel, Ousmane Dembele.
The Frenchman, 24, was at the centre of a prolonged transfer saga in January and was frozen out of the first team after refusing to sign a new deal before Xavi Hernandez replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm. The winger’s current deal at Camp Nou expires at the end of the season and there has been no agreement over fresh terms, despite several attempts.
According to El Chiringuito TV, Ousmane Dembele’s agent, Moussa Sissoko, has recently met with Arsenal over a potential transfer.
Dembele has enjoyed an upturn in form since the winter break, registering a goal and seven assists in the last five La Liga games. With two assists, he played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s recent 4-0 demolition of bitter rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, if the France international does opt to leave the Camp Nou, he certainly won’t be short of options when it comes to his next destination, with Arsenal emerging as a potential suitor.
Ousmane Dembele to Arsenal – A good option for the Gunners?
Ousmane Dembele’s career at Barcelona has been up and down ever since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017. While he has shown several flashes of brilliance, recurrent injury problems have hampered his progress. In fact, the wide-man has missed over 100 games due to various injury and fitness concerns over the course of his four-and-a-half-year stay at Camp Nou.
The thing is, when fit and firing, there are genuinely less than a handful of wingers that Xavi would pick over Ousmane Dembele. The ability to go both ways, use both feet and seamlessly drift past defenders, with the utmost proficiency – that’s so incredibly unique! pic.twitter.com/XQ8wzjeqBC
— Neal🇦🇺 (@NealGardner_) March 21, 2022
This season alone, the 2018 France World Cup winner has missed 18 games due to a combination of injury problems and a bout of Covid-19. This clearly suggests Dembele doesn’t have a reliable injury record and would be a potentially risky addition for any club, including Arsenal.
Arsenal could be in the market for a wide player in a bid to add quality to their attacking ranks while bringing competition for the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Nicolas Pepe.
Pepe has flattered to deceive since arriving at the club in the summer of 2019 from Lille and has lost his place in the starting XI this season. The Ivory Coast international’s future at the Emirates Stadium remains in doubt, and even if he stays, the Gunners could do with a wide player.
Coming back to Dembele, his injury record at Barcelona doesn’t fill with promise and makes him a risky option to consider. At 24, however, he is still relatively young and his potential free agency status in the summer could appeal to Arsenal.
There’s no doubting the ex-Borussia Dortmund man’s talent, potential and pedigree, but if he is ready to lower his €20 million per year contractual demands, Arsenal and Arteta should take a gamble on him.
