Ousmane Dembele

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ReallyUSA

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Yeah... and that wasn't his only season like that. His first season was as bad. The lad has missed 80 games over 3 seasons at Barca with injury.



Averaging 27 games missed per season...and that in the ages 20-23. Imagine how bad that could get with age.

On top of that he has been largely shit for Barca when fit and has been mostly restricted to the bench. Yet people want to spend 70m (and in this depressed transfer climate) for him. Because he looked great for BVB 4 years ago.

That would be bailing Barca out of their mistake big time.
Well this kills my previous post in another thread being optimistic.
 

Womp

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His professionalism is no worse than Sancho's who we are fawning over. His injury concerns are the only thing potentially stopping him from becoming one of the World's best and how much of his recurring muscular injuries are down to him alone, I'm not so sure.

As I've said, it's very odd that someone goes from never having a professional injury to being constantly injured since joining Barcelona. The studies done on his training where he rarely sprints in training can easily be linked to his recurring muscular injuries.
 

He'sRaldo

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Wasnt there something said that he was faking injuries because he wasnt happy playing for Barcelona? I'm not great with media so take that for nothing anyway. I wouldn't be surprised his injuries improved once he found the right club for him whoever that maybe
I remember reading that the Barcelona training intensity was reduced to accommodate the old heads like Messi and Busquets. Not sure if it's true or not, but if true it would be a very pertinent piece of info.

Like others have said, his injury issues seem to have started in Barcelona. If they happen to end when he leaves, whichever club gets him would have gotten a bargain. And since we already have Greenwood, it would be a low risk high potential reward signing.
 

Redcy

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I remember reading that the Barcelona training intensity was reduced to accommodate the old heads like Messi and Busquets. Not sure if it's true or not, but if true it would be a very pertinent piece of info.

Like others have said, his injury issues seem to have started in Barcelona. If they happen to end when he leaves, whichever club gets him would have gotten a bargain. And since we already have Greenwood, it would be a low risk high potential reward signing.
How is a 70m+ signing for a player who might only play 10 games a season low risk?
 

He'sRaldo

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How is a 70m+ signing for a player who might only play 10 games a season low risk?
If he's on loan and he's able to come off the bench on both wings instead of Dan James, that would be very good.

Since Greenwood is emerging I'd rather a player that can backup Rashford and Greenwood, while still pushing them to perform. If Dembele hits the ground running then he pushes them to perform, and if he doesn't then he's a better rotation than James and can stand in for both of them.

It would be a good gamble if on loan. A 70M straight transfer is definitely more risky, but the potential reward is still high.
 

Sayros

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I just don't see Barcelona loaning him out with an option to buy, it doesn't solve their problems and they know he's special. He seems to have the attitude issues sorted, but now is the health and especially after his latest injury, how is he even going to look and is he the same player? There's no guarantee the Ousmane Dembele we saw at Dortmund is ever going to be back, I hope I'm wrong though because he's an incredible talent.
 

MadMike

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Won’t they lose him for free if it continues this way for the next 2 years anyway? At least the other way around they have a chance of making a sizable sum in transfer fees.
They can always offer him an extension and hope he recovers from his problems. It's what we've been doing with Jones for 10 years after all.
 

Adam-Utd

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I just don't see Barcelona loaning him out with an option to buy, it doesn't solve their problems and they know he's special. He seems to have the attitude issues sorted, but now is the health and especially after his latest injury, how is he even going to look and is he the same player? There's no guarantee the Ousmane Dembele we saw at Dortmund is ever going to be back, I hope I'm wrong though because he's an incredible talent.
He usually always comes back looking the same player he did before, he's just ended up getting injured again quickly and it's been a bad one each time.

For some reason either the barca medical teams aren't making him do enough physiotherapy, or Dembele is almost too fast for his body to cope with it. Similarly to Giggs who kept having hamstring issues, he had to start only running at 80% speed, maybe Dembele needs to adjust to that also.

In terms of dribbling, control and shooting ability though there isn't many better wide players out there. IF he can stay fit and build his confidence he could be world class.

I'm not sure Barca will be the right place for him though, if we really can't get Sancho i'd take a risk on maybe a 2 year loan.
 

Fracture90

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When healthy and motivated he's a cracking player, quick, good with both feet, can beat a man or two...

Reckon playing alongside Martial and Pogba could help him a bit, pressure is too great at Barca.

A loan deal with a reasonable buyout clause, around €50-60 million in total would be a tempting deal imo.
 

Red_toad

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Or they keep him on their books, pay his wages and the same happens regardless, apart from they've now paid his wages.
€230k a week, United could easily afford that as part of a loan to cover his entire wage. But with his injury record it’s always going to be a big risk. On his day his excellent, can create and score with either foot, can burn defenders with his pace. 20 goals in 80 appearances for Barca isn’t too shabby for a bit part player, who’s been on and off injured. Barca are going to have to get him off the books somehow, or they’ll end up in a Bale situation.
 

Beaucoup

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I just don't see Barcelona loaning him out with an option to buy, it doesn't solve their problems and they know he's special. He seems to have the attitude issues sorted, but now is the health and especially after his latest injury, how is he even going to look and is he the same player? There's no guarantee the Ousmane Dembele we saw at Dortmund is ever going to be back, I hope I'm wrong though because he's an incredible talent.
It's a catch 22 for Barca, they paid big money for him, but as it stands no club is going to pay the money they want for him with his injury record, loan with an option to buy is the only option, unless he comes back and plays the next season injury free.
 

Zehner

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He usually always comes back looking the same player he did before, he's just ended up getting injured again quickly and it's been a bad one each time.

For some reason either the barca medical teams aren't making him do enough physiotherapy, or Dembele is almost too fast for his body to cope with it. Similarly to Giggs who kept having hamstring issues, he had to start only running at 80% speed, maybe Dembele needs to adjust to that also.

In terms of dribbling, control and shooting ability though there isn't many better wide players out there. IF he can stay fit and build his confidence he could be world class.

I'm not sure Barca will be the right place for him though, if we really can't get Sancho i'd take a risk on maybe a 2 year loan.

I don't think control is one of his strengths. It's actually the reason things aren't working out for him at Barca. Dembele has brillant abilities but he's not one to excel in tight spaces and play controlled possession football. His natural instinct is almost always going forward. He screws up way to many passes and easy touches for Barca's philosophy.

But he could be great for a team playing a different style. Think he could work great for you. Martial, Rashford, Greenwood and Dembele are a supremely talented attack that's already exceptional and can become world class.
 

.mica

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Think he could work great for you. Martial, Rashford, Greenwood and Dembele are a supremely talented attack that's already exceptional and can become world class.
Yeah thats true. But you will need a whole bunch of actions to take cae of his mentality, so that he can shine again. Barca fecked this up completely.
 

Adam-Utd

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I don't think control is one of his strengths. It's actually the reason things aren't working out for him at Barca. Dembele has brillant abilities but he's not one to excel in tight spaces and play controlled possession football. His natural instinct is almost always going forward. He screws up way to many passes and easy touches for Barca's philosophy.

But he could be great for a team playing a different style. Think he could work great for you. Martial, Rashford, Greenwood and Dembele are a supremely talented attack that's already exceptional and can become world class.
I think his abilities in close areas are fine, but as you say his mentality is "full throttle" and doesn't know how to just keep the ball moving and be patient.

They would pass him the ball and he'd go on a swerving run and then get isolated, where he might have just moved back and passed inside then moved forwards himself etc.

Wingers at Barca that do well are better off the ball.

I think Dembele at United though with a faster tempo and more space would be fantastic.
 

Zehner

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I think his abilities in close areas are fine, but as you say his mentality is "full throttle" and doesn't know how to just keep the ball moving and be patient.

They would pass him the ball and he'd go on a swerving run and then get isolated, where he might have just moved back and passed inside then moved forwards himself etc.

Wingers at Barca that do well are better off the ball.

I think Dembele at United though with a faster tempo and more space would be fantastic.

Yes, you described it quite well. His intuition is just not really compatible with Barcelona.

That being said, I think you underestimate his technical inconsistencies. Dembele is a player that shows outrageous technical ability in one action only to have it followed by three actions in which his touch is off or a sideways pass across 4 meters ends up in the feet of an opponent.
 

Lash

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I think his abilities in close areas are fine, but as you say his mentality is "full throttle" and doesn't know how to just keep the ball moving and be patient.

They would pass him the ball and he'd go on a swerving run and then get isolated, where he might have just moved back and passed inside then moved forwards himself etc.

Wingers at Barca that do well are better off the ball.

I think Dembele at United though with a faster tempo and more space would be fantastic.
Also his ability to beat several players is something Martial only seems to have.
 

Adam-Utd

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Yes, you described it quite well. His intuition is just not really compatible with Barcelona.

That being said, I think you underestimate his technical inconsistencies. Dembele is a player that shows outrageous technical ability in one action only to have it followed by three actions in which his touch is off or a sideways pass across 4 meters ends up in the feet of an opponent.
Fair enough, I can't admit to watching a lot of him at Barcelona but I think that's maybe down to confidence. At Rennes and for France he seemed to have the ball glued to his feet.
 

Posh Red

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Yes, you described it quite well. His intuition is just not really compatible with Barcelona.

That being said, I think you underestimate his technical inconsistencies. Dembele is a player that shows outrageous technical ability in one action only to have it followed by three actions in which his touch is off or a sideways pass across 4 meters ends up in the feet of an opponent.
I got a flashback to him missing an open goal against Liverpool reading this. Thanks!
 

Zehner

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Fair enough, I can't admit to watching a lot of him at Barcelona but I think that's maybe down to confidence. At Rennes and for France he seemed to have the ball glued to his feet.
Think everyone who followed him over a sustained period of time will agree with that notion. His technical inconsistencies were already there when he played for Dortmund. He's a little bit clunky at times but it is outweighed by his moments of sheer brillance during which the ball is indeed glued to his feet.

However, in a possession oriented system you need to play rather risk averse. If one player loses the ball frequently, the whole system implodes. That's what happened a lot at Barca.

But I think your style of playing football would suit him much better. He's perfect for a vertical philosophy and I think that fits quite well to many of your players (Pogba, Bruno, Rashford) who have that in their DNA, too.
 

FlapR

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His attitude as a person is absolutely terrible. Shouldn't even be a consideration imo, he would only end up causing damage to the team and the club.
 

Clermontois

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His attitude as a person is absolutely terrible. Shouldn't even be a consideration imo, he would only end up causing damage to the team and the club.
Not keen on having him here but what do you know about his attitude 'as a person'? They are videos showing that Zlatan's attitude was terrible and media reports confirming Sancho has been fined on occasion but what evidence is their about Dembélé's attitude...
 

JPRouve

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Fair enough, I can't admit to watching a lot of him at Barcelona but I think that's maybe down to confidence. At Rennes and for France he seemed to have the ball glued to his feet.
He has the ball glued to his feet 8 out of 10 times but those two times are generally shameful and to me they are clearly due to a loss of focus. Now people keep mentioning the Liverpool game but I have a different reading of the game, he played 1 minute and found himself in two goalscoring opportunities and it's not a one-off, that's why he has the type of productivity that he has despite barely playing for Barcelona 19 goals and 17 assists in 4125 minutes which roughly equates to a season worth of minutes as a starter, for Dortmund it was 10 goals and 22 assists in 3500 minutes
 

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Not keen on having him here but what do you know about his attitude 'as a person'? They are videos showing that Zlatan's attitude was terrible and media reports confirming Sancho has been fined on occasion but what evidence is their about Dembélé's attitude...
- Trashed klopps house whilst he was at Dortmund.
- Completely downed tools to force the move from Dortmund to Barca through.
- Has been publicly criticised by a couple of Barca players and Didier Deschamps.
- Late for training numerous times.
- Faked illness to get out of training.
 

RkkMan

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I cannot for the life of me understand why people think Manchester United should be some sort of Make A Wish foundation for players that are busted goods, especially those with bad attitudes. If Dembele is who we sign as a result of us not getting Sancho it will be one massive massive failure similar to overpaying for Fellaini.
Rather get someone like Sarr to sit on the bench and start Greenwood if worst comes to worst.
 

Arka_BleedingRed

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His move to Barcelona was a major derailment in the development of a Player who was in moments showed World class abilities coupled with occasional technical and tactical inconsistency expected with young players. A possession based team like Barca where the build up is much slower(even though quicker than under Pep) and play is less direct than most other teams was in stark contrast with the style Ousmane was familiar with as well not his strong suit. That, coupled with some attitude problems(late night gaming and subsequent late trainings) and a pressure to replace Neymar and fitness problems turned his dream move into a nightmare.

The EPL and United under Ole would be much more suitable for his play style, provided he overcomes his fitness problems. One thing I can say is that his attitude issues will be sorted out here with Ole and the likes of Rashford, Mason and even Martial perfect to learn from. That is why if Sancho doesn't come and if it's a loan with option to buy say a max. of 50-55 millions in conditions, I would be more than willing to give him a chance here. If he fails, he can be moved on, but if he succeeds, we would have the 2nd best young RW after Sancho, a potentially World Class replacement almost on par with Sancho in our hands.
 

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- Trashed klopps house whilst he was at Dortmund.
- Completely downed tools to force the move from Dortmund to Barca through.
- Has been publicly criticised by a couple of Barca players and Didier Deschamps.
- Late for training numerous times.
- Faked illness to get out of training.
The bolded are nonsense and don't even need further time but I know nothing about the house trashing. Further though specifically speaking about criticism I do not recall Barca players criticizing him with quotes but I do remember Messi going out of his way in actual interviews to praise his ability. While Didier Deschamps said he needs to work on his fitness and form, nothing about his attitude 'as a person'.
 

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Probably the best thing Barca can do if they do want to get rid of him is to loan him out with an obligation to buy if he plays a certain amount of games. That way if he does stay fit Barca gets a good fee and the buying team knows they will only have to pay the fee if he's regularly available.
 

Redcy

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Has there been any suggestion Barca would consider a loan with option to buy? I don’t see how it helps them financially. Even if they did I can’t see how they would put that buy option at less than 80m, they need that valuation to stay in business.

dembele looks like he could be one of those players that can never fully recover, his injuries return each time, our back room staff can barely keep up with Shaw, Bailly, Jones, rashford, matic and pogba, I’m still not convinced a lad whose hamstrings snap so easy is up to the kind of work ole puts in, add in a tough, physical league in a counter attack style
 

Redcy

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Probably the best thing Barca can do if they do want to get rid of him is to loan him out with an obligation to buy if he plays a certain amount of games. That way if he does stay fit Barca gets a good fee and the buying team knows they will only have to pay the fee if he's regularly available.
An obligation to buy is the only way I could see Barca giving a loan deal. This would allow them to write him of the books at a value that meets their commitments.
 

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Has there been any suggestion Barca would consider a loan with option to buy? I don’t see how it helps them financially. Even if they did I can’t see how they would put that buy option at less than 80m, they need that valuation to stay in business.
They wouldn't be paying his wages that year, for one.
 

mu4c_20le

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The bolded are nonsense and don't even need further time but I know nothing about the house trashing. Further though specifically speaking about criticism I do not recall Barca players criticizing him with quotes but I do remember Messi going out of his way in actual interviews to praise his ability. While Didier Deschamps said he needs to work on his fitness and form, nothing about his attitude 'as a person'.
I remember some of them commenting on his professionalism, that he wasn't doing enough to stay fit when he's out injured. The reason I am open to this transfer is because I think most of his attitude problems stem from immaturity, as opposed to being an actual dick.
 

JPRouve

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They wouldn't be paying his wages that year, for one.
That would be a good thing, if they didn't want him to play for them which isn't the case. Dembélé isn't unwanted by Barcelona, he isn't in the situation Coutinho finds himself in.
 

beingshe7don

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I remember some of them commenting on his professionalism, that he wasn't doing enough to stay fit when he's out injured. The reason I am open to this transfer is because I think most of his attitude problems stem from immaturity, as opposed to being an actual dick.
That would be a good thing, if they didn't want him to play for them which isn't the case. Dembélé isn't unwanted by Barcelona, he isn't in the situation Coutinho finds himself in.
The only question mark is whether he can remain fit. When it comes to performances, I think this guy could easily eclipse Martial and Rashford on his given day. I think we've got a really good vibe within the dressing room going with the success we've had as well as Bruno coming in. Our players are actually enjoying their football and I think Dembele is the same sort who needs a little bit of backing and improving his decision making which Ole and his staff could do off the field while Bruno could do on the field. Yes, Sancho would be great to have but trust me if we got Dembele, we wouldn't be settling for someone less.
 

JPRouve

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I remember some of them commenting on his professionalism, that he wasn't doing enough to stay fit when he's out injured. The reason I am open to this transfer is because I think most of his attitude problems stem from immaturity, as opposed to being an actual dick.
I'm pretty sure that none of them commented on that, the press has done it and sometimes referred to the dressing but no player has done it. The closest to it was an extrapolated comment from Piqué about football being a 24 hours job.
 

devips

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We don't really know if Barca is willing to part with him. It's all idle speculation at the moment. But if they eventually decide to sell or loan him, and United are in the market, it's a no-brainer.
 
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