After Messi, dembele is the next best player on the ball. This is a weird comment. I do agree he might be lacking in confidence but that’s it. Would love him here if things don’t work out and Neymar also on the move.
Come on, the second best on the ball? Arthur, de Jong, Griezmann, (formerly) Coutinho, Rakitic and Busquets are comfortably better on the ball than him. Dembele has many strengthes but technique isn't one of them. He's a highlight player, for every great dribbling there are two or three occasions where he has bad close control or kicks the ball to far in front of him. His first touch is fluky, his passing average. In spite of his occasional moments of brillance, his technique is very inconsistent. And as Cruyff puts it:
Technique is not being able to juggle a ball 1000 times. Anyone can do that by practicing. Then you can work in the circus. Technique is passing the ball with one touch, with the right speed, at the right foot of your team mate.
Dembele couldn't be farther from that description.