Ousmane Dembele

[Charrockero]

The two subheads on that article are:

"The club is looking into saving his wages, but the intention is to do a transfer"

and

"The club offers to him an exit to the club he's negotiated with for a low transfer fee"

If you don't want someone who 'isn't committed' how about pay him off now?

It's very clear that Barca want the best deal (like any other club) out of this mess. If they obtain a transfer fee, that would be the best case scenario (highly unlikely)... If they loan the player, they would certainly reduce his wages and save some money for the remainder of his contract (few chances of happening)... If they reach an amicable settlement to terminate his contract with Dembele, they would have to pay the wages pending for the rest of his contract and - somewhat - turn this mess into a more elegant dispute... But I think negotiations have reached a point of no return.

TBH I think he will definitely pursue some kind of legal action for an indemnization. Barca's board should have kept their mouths shut but, since there have been media releases of him "not playing because he doesn't sign extension" then he could claim that there's been an extortion to sign and in that sense, he has all the right to seek such compensation.

 

[Ayoba]

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE MILLION.....That's what Barca paid for this joker.

 

[Hansi Fick]

Does anyone belive that, if Dembélé signed a contract with PSG for the summer tomorrow (he can, after all) and came out with a statement how he's now focusing all his efforts on playing a good rest of the season at Barca, Barca would indeed put him in the stands? No way. They'd proceed to play him of course, as he's an asset for them on the pitch.

That's why the "he's benched because he's not committed to the project" stuff is just extortion.

 

[Toad]

24 already, where does the time go

 

[Iker Quesadillas]

Does anyone belive that, if Dembélé signed a contract with PSG for the summer tomorrow (he can, after all) and came out with a statement how he's now focusing all his efforts on playing a good rest of the season at Barca, Barca would indeed put him in the stands? No way. They'd proceed to play him of course, as he's an asset for them on the pitch.

That's why the "he's benched because he's not committed to the project" stuff is just extortion.

Xavi said as recently as yesterday that he's not planning on sending him to the stands for the rest of the season.

 

[giorno]

Xavi's main tactic in attack has been "give it to Dembele and hope he does something", What's he gonna do now when he isn't playing?

Finish 7th? A man can dream

(They got Pedri and Ansu Fati back plus Ferran. They'll probably be fine)

It would hilarious if he joins Real Madrid for free and does well under Ancelotti.

For cheap too

Xavi said as recently as yesterday that he's not planning on sending him to the stands for the rest of the season.

He said yesterday he has to respect the club's decision

 

[Sayros]

Xavi said as recently as yesterday that he's not planning on sending him to the stands for the rest of the season.

He may not plan it, but the club may have a different opinion and he's already alluding to this being something done over his head. Either way, Barcelona keep looking like complete fools because that's just who they are, talking about how Dembele now has to leave this window. I really, really hope he just tells them to feck off and walk away for free, all 100+m of him. And I hope he tears it up (whatever league he goes to, not his meniscus).

Also, I'm not buying for one second those figures thrown around in regards to what Demebele is asking for in his new contract. That's only going to come out because Barcelona are about to get caught with their pants around their ankle and so they need to justify a reason why they let a 100+m asset walk away for free, and that's going to be the lie they'll sell to their fans.

 

[Redlyn]

United should have done the same with Pogba in the summer. A simple, “if you don’t sign, we are not going to miss out on a fee”

We then could have signed a midfielder committed to the cause who we had no doubts wanted to be here and contribute.

Barcelona and United should be embarrassed at how badly they have been run.

And if Pogba says no, I'm not leaving till my contract is up. What then?

 

[NoLogo]

Does anyone belive that, if Dembélé signed a contract with PSG for the summer tomorrow (he can, after all) and came out with a statement how he's now focusing all his efforts on playing a good rest of the season at Barca, Barca would indeed put him in the stands? No way. They'd proceed to play him of course, as he's an asset for them on the pitch.

That's why the "he's benched because he's not committed to the project" stuff is just extortion.

It is, it's not like they can do anything else with the budget. On top of that, he is going to get injured eventually and miss the rest of the season anyway, so not really a threat, is it?

 

[Niemans]

Barcelona must give minutes to the players who will be next year: Fati, Torres, Abde.

To give dembele matches is to take them away from another who needs it to adapt to Xavi's system, Depay to the bench, I don't think he will continue next year.

I would understand giving Dembele games if Barcelona played important titles and he was indispensable, which is not the case.

 

[Hansi Fick]

Barcelona must give minutes to the players who will be next year: Fati, Torres, Abde.

To give dembele matches is to take them away from another who needs it to adapt to Xavi's system, Depay to the bench, I don't think he will continue next year.

I would understand giving Dembele games if Barcelona played important titles and he was indispensable, which is not the case.

Don't downplay the importance of the Fourth Place Trophy!

 

[giorno]

I would understand giving Dembele games if Barcelona played important titles and he was indispensable, which is not the case.

You're 6th

 

[Niemans]

He may not plan it, but the club may have a different opinion and he's already alluding to this being something done over his head. Either way, Barcelona keep looking like complete fools because that's just who they are, talking about how Dembele now has to leave this window. I really, really hope he just tells them to feck off and walk away for free, all 100+m of him. And I hope he tears it up (whatever league he goes to, not his meniscus).

Also, I'm not buying for one second those figures thrown around in regards to what Demebele is asking for in his new contract. That's only going to come out because Barcelona are about to get caught with their pants around their ankle and so they need to justify a reason why they let a 100+m asset walk away for free, and that's going to be the lie they'll sell to their fans.

So how much do you think Dembele is asking for?
And then what do you think is the limit that Barcelona has to let go for free a player who cost €135M?

 

[Niemans]

Don't downplay the importance of the Fourth Place Trophy!

It's important, there's no doubt about that. There is also the possibility of the Europa League. Having a horrible year is good for people to remember what happens when things are done wrong.

You're 6th

Dembele is not indispensable, quite the contrary. I personally have been 3 years that I want him out of Barcelona.
The worst thing about a player is his lack of IQ, his decision making. That in the long run makes him irregular, and if a team has several players with these characteristics, it is impossible to have regularity of play and results.

 

[Maluco]

If I didn't know, I could swear that you are talking about a shipments of oats.

It’s still an asset under contract. You can still be direct with the player and his agent and get the word out he is available for a decent fee.

No one is sending him to the dungeon

 

[AneRu]

No, just sold the player and cashed in on the asset. No need to tweet or inform anyone, just take the best offer from PSG/Real/Juventus and move him on.

Barcelona have every right to cash in now if they can and we should have done the same with Pogba.

That needs the player's consent for any move which they are unlikely to get

 

[Telsim]

Clubs pay bajillions of euros for 20-year-olds that have had one or two good seasons, then are upset when they turn out to be worth much less. Meanwhile, the same 20-year-olds fancy themselves God's gift because of it.

Football is fecked.

 

[Gandalf]

It’s still an asset under contract. You can still be direct with the player and his agent and get the word out he is available for a decent fee.

No one is sending him to the dungeon

You seem to keep missing the point that his availability is not solely a matter for the club to decide. If the player does not want to move there is not a single thing the club can do about it. I have seen no indication whatsoever from Paul or Mino that they would have been willing to consent to a transfer in the last window whereas Mino has openly talked about the wage and signing on fee he wants for Paul as a free agent. Connecting the dots we could not have sold him as it did not fit his plans.

 

[JPRouve]

It’s still an asset under contract. You can still be direct with the player and his agent and get the word out he is available for a decent fee.

No one is sending him to the dungeon

They know that he is available for a decent fee, they also know that he is available for no fee and that Barcelona has no say in it. Also being under contract only means that you can employ him, it doesn't give you any right to "cash in on the asset".

 

[Sayros]

So how much do you think Dembele is asking for?
And then what do you think is the limit that Barcelona has to let go for free a player who cost €135M?

I have no idea, but I'm certain Dembele, or his agent, aren't asking for 700K+/week, that's the only thing I'm certain of. It's a typical PR move for the club to deem the player as unreasonable when they stand to take a huge loss so they move the responsibility from their ineptitude to the player's greed. He might ask for half of that since he's already in the neighborhood of that figure at reportedly £287,000 per week, but even as crazy as Dembele or his agent may or may not be, they wouldn't ask for x2.5 times his current pay after barely figuring for the team and being constantly injured, especially knowing Barcelona's situation.

If we want to listen to rumors, then we can also listen to the one where Barcelona is looking to have clauses in his contract where he's getting underpaid when he's injured and would have to complete a series of games to earn bonuses to a salary they offered that is much lower than what he's currently earning. No player, even if they were never injured in their career, would accept such a deal.

And Barcelona doesn't even really want to keep him, they are simply looking to renew him so they can sell him for more if he can stay healthy and put in some consistent performances. I suspect Dembele and his agent are aware of that, so there is zero incentives for them to renew or leave the clowns in charge of Barcelona to decide where to send him this transfer window.

 

[Maluco]

You seem to keep missing the point that his availability is not solely a matter for the club to decide. If the player does not want to move there is not a single thing the club can do about it. I have seen no indication whatsoever from Paul or Mino that they would have been willing to consent to a transfer in the last window whereas Mino has openly talked about the wage and signing on fee he wants for Paul as a free agent. Connecting the dots we could not have sold him as it did not fit his plans.

I am not missing any point, I am well aware of the situation, but that’s why you try and stay on top of it and keep organized. The longer you try to placate the player and hope he signs, the less and less likely it gets with the money that’s on the table.

We should have sold him even before the summer. He is a marketable asset that has never delivered on the pitch and we have allowed him to dictate his terms and wait out his contract.

It’s poor from the club. The whole wage structure and personality profile of players we look at and value is awful and has been for a long time.

Just saying “well, it’s too late now, it’s in the players hands, you’re missing the point”, just let’s the club off the hook for the horrendous job they have done previously. It’s not good enough no matter what angle you choose to view the situation from.

 

[Gandalf]

We should have sold him even before the summer.

Now this part I agree with. The cutoff for transfer talks has to be 2 years to 18 months before the end of a contract, waiting til the final year cedes all control to the player.

 

[Plant0x84]

Pity the club that signs this guy. It's nearly charity.

Woodward: hold my beer…

 

[Maluco]

Now this part I agree with. The cutoff for transfer talks has to be 2 years to 18 months before the end of a contract, waiting til the final year cedes all control to the player.

I think that’s the new reality to be honest with the transfer fees we are seeing now. Players want the power back, but we shouldn’t have allowed it to get this far with Pogba, and Barcelona shouldn’t have allowed it to get this far either.

It’s a story of two supremely badly run clubs chasing after massively expensive assets that aren’t worth what they are paid anyway.

 

[Red Shorts]

This is such a brilliant fight: poisonous club vs overpaid, lazy player. Hope the ending to this is blockbuster for both!

 

[FlapR]

You'd have to be an absolute nutter to want anything to do with this clown. Hopefully he just disappears somewhere obscure.

 

[JPRouve]

This is such a brilliant fight: poisonous club vs overpaid, lazy player. Hope the ending to this is blockbuster for both!

Is he lazy? We know that he is immature and injury prone but is he lazy?

 

[USREDEVIL]

Woodward: hold my beer…

I know. But if it does happen i can say "I WARNED YOU!"

 

[Niemans]

I have no idea, but I'm certain Dembele, or his agent, aren't asking for 700K+/week, that's the only thing I'm certain of. It's a typical PR move for the club to deem the player as unreasonable when they stand to take a huge loss so they move the responsibility from their ineptitude to the player's greed. He might ask for half of that since he's already in the neighborhood of that figure at reportedly £287,000 per week, but even as crazy as Dembele or his agent may or may not be, they wouldn't ask for x2.5 times his current pay after barely figuring for the team and being constantly injured, especially knowing Barcelona's situation.

"We're not here to react to debates on social media, but the truth has to be said. Yes, we have high demands"
This was said by Dembele's agent 2 days ago.
Here it is clear that they are asking for a lot of money. Then we can debate what is reasonable or not, but it certainly doesn't look like "typical MR move".

Barcelona after paying €135M will not lose a player for not paying him €15-16M/year gross.
If this situation was reached, it is because the difference is enormous.

And Barcelona doesn't even really want to keep him, they are simply looking to renew him so they can sell him for more if he can stay healthy and put in some consistent performances. I suspect Dembele and his agent are aware of that, so there is zero incentives for them to renew or leave the clowns in charge of Barcelona to decide where to send him this transfer window.

Clowns were the previous ones who gave away money to anyone and in embarrassing amounts.
Those who lead and negotiate now (Mateu Alemany), are doing an exercise of responsibility, first because we have to fix the economic disaster left by the previous clowns and then for being fair to the performance of the player.

Here the only one who did not perform at the level that was expected and paid is Dembele after 5 years. And as the agent says " Yes, we have high demands"

It is logical that Barcelona pays him according to his performance. If the player has been below the expected level, the logical thing is not to increase his salary.

And as I said before, Barcelona are not going to lose a €135M player for not paying him 15-16/year gross with variables included, so people can get an idea of the amount they may be asking for.

 

[Oranges038]

Biggest waste of money in the history of football.

When you consider his injury record and performances, it's fair to say no top club should ever touch him and have that drain on resources hanging round the place doing feck all.

 

[Ali Dia]

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE MILLION.....That's what Barca paid for this joker.

before he went to Dortmund he looked absolutely nailed on to be world class. He was electric.

 

[Sayros]

"We're not here to react to debates on social media, but the truth has to be said. Yes, we have high demands"
This was said by Dembele's agent 2 days ago.
Here it is clear that they are asking for a lot of money. Then we can debate what is reasonable or not, but it certainly doesn't look like "typical MR move".

Barcelona after paying €135M will not lose a player for not paying him €15-16M/year gross.
If this situation was reached, it is because the difference is enormous.



Clowns were the previous ones who gave away money to anyone and in embarrassing amounts.
Those who lead and negotiate now (Mateu Alemany), are doing an exercise of responsibility, first because we have to fix the economic disaster left by the previous clowns and then for being fair to the performance of the player.

Here the only one who did not perform at the level that was expected and paid is Dembele after 5 years. And as the agent says " Yes, we have high demands"

It is logical that Barcelona pays him according to his performance. If the player has been below the expected level, the logical thing is not to increase his salary.

And as I said before, Barcelona are not going to lose a €135M player for not paying him 15-16/year gross with variables included, so people can get an idea of the amount they may be asking for.

I like Mateu Alemany, and maybe he can fix the mess that's been made. I'm not listening to what agents or the clubs have to say during these times, it's all exaggerated one way or another. An agent saying they have high demands can be in response to the lowball offers that have been reported to be based on chunks of games to earn a salary similar to what he's currently earning.

Now, as far as Dembele's performances, or lack thereof, what was the expectation? Because Barcelona paid a stupid fee for a player that was essentially a professional for two seasons, and most people would have told you right away he did not fit within the Barcelona DNA, but maybe that would be a good thing because that DNA was getting stale. Now, around that time Dembele was one of the most productive players in Europe, and the most for his age, he was extraordinary at times. If we set aside his injuries (basically 75% of his time in Barcelona), he's actually been a pretty productive player with his minutes, at least the first few seasons because I completely stopped caring after that. He creates danger and opportunities that the team can't get on its own, that's what he's always done since his days at Rennes.

I like that you're so certain Barcelona wouldn't lose him over that kind of money when they are completely broke and yet have aspirations to sign players like Haaland. Hell, I would lose him over that kind of money if I feel it's going to be 3/4 of the time dealing with medical issues. The damage has already been done on Dembele's value, regardless of the nonsense Laporta tries to say in comparing him to Mbappe, it's unfortunate because Dembele is a lot of things but he's not someone who is happy not playing and giving his all, no matter how flawed his game might be.

And even if he is asking for a lot of money, let's say 500K, so what? Barcelona cannot force him to move, and he will maybe find a way to get that kind of money as a free-agent. I just have a hard time seeing Dembele asking for anything close to 700K, I think it's wildly off the mark but if it is somehow true, then he's completely delusional and no one, not even as a free-agent, will come remotely close to that.

 

[Pretzels81]

Another poisonous ex-Dortmund player. Sancho too.

I would not be surprised if Haaland underperforms (+ media drama) with his new club.

 

[Niemans]

I like Mateu Alemany, and maybe he can fix the mess that's been made. I'm not listening to what agents or the clubs have to say during these times, it's all exaggerated one way or another. An agent saying they have high demands can be in response to the lowball offers that have been reported to be based on chunks of games to earn a salary similar to what he's currently earning.

Now, as far as Dembele's performances, or lack thereof, what was the expectation? Because Barcelona paid a stupid fee for a player that was essentially a professional for two seasons, and most people would have told you right away he did not fit within the Barcelona DNA, but maybe that would be a good thing because that DNA was getting stale. Now, around that time Dembele was one of the most productive players in Europe, and the most for his age, he was extraordinary at times. If we set aside his injuries (basically 75% of his time in Barcelona), he's actually been a pretty productive player with his minutes, at least the first few seasons because I completely stopped caring after that. He creates danger and opportunities that the team can't get on its own, that's what he's always done since his days at Rennes.

I like that you're so certain Barcelona wouldn't lose him over that kind of money when they are completely broke and yet have aspirations to sign players like Haaland. Hell, I would lose him over that kind of money if I feel it's going to be 3/4 of the time dealing with medical issues. The damage has already been done on Dembele's value, regardless of the nonsense Laporta tries to say in comparing him to Mbappe, it's unfortunate because Dembele is a lot of things but he's not someone who is happy not playing and giving his all, no matter how flawed his game might be.

And even if he is asking for a lot of money, let's say 500K, so what? Barcelona cannot force him to move, and he will maybe find a way to get that kind of money as a free-agent. I just have a hard time seeing Dembele asking for anything close to 700K, I think it's wildly off the mark but if it is somehow true, then he's completely delusional and no one, not even as a free-agent, will come remotely close to that.

What is happening with the renewal of Dembele is something normal in football, it happens many times in each transfer window and in the renovations.
Barcelona wants to pay him according to his performance and the player and the agent win as much as they can.
From there each person will have their opinion based on their morality and principles.

Barcelona and everyone already knows that they can't force Dembele to leave, Barcelona simply opting for a tough position so as not to set dangerous precedents and for future players to do the same.

Barcelona is not broken economically, they have a significant debt and a hard economic fair play. But with enough resources to be competitive and reduce debt. They just have to get things right.

I don't know what expectations people had with Dembele, I hadn't seen him play before signing him from Barcelona.
As soon as I saw him for a few months I did not like what I observed but he was young and had a lot of room for improvement. It's been 5 years and little has improved.

And as I said before, Barcelona is not going to lose a player that Xavi and Laporta like for not paying him 15-16/year having cost €135M

 

[Iker Quesadillas]

It is logical that Barcelona pays him according to his performance. If the player has been below the expected level, the logical thing is not to increase his salary.

A 24 year old player is not going to accept a wage cut at his current club because "he hasn't performed at the expected level."

 

[Red Shorts]

Is he lazy? We know that he is immature and injury prone but is he lazy?

Ok maybe I jumped the gun a little. rephrase it to immature and injury prone and it is in fact even more effective for my statement.

 

[Niemans]

A 24 year old player is not going to accept a wage cut at his current club because "he hasn't performed at the expected level."

That is his business, Barcelona offers him what the club believes is right and necessary.

 

[Sayros]

Barcelona is not going to lose a player that Xavi and Laporta like for not paying him 15-16/year having cost €135M

The 135m is sort of irrelevant at this point though, no? They might as well stop thinking about it because it serves no purpose in negotiations or in their plans to balance their current budget. Also it would be closer to 19/year at the figure I was thinking, but what you're talking about is a bit more than what he's already getting paid, and I think they're trying to pay him less like they've asked of some other players. I'm not saying they're wrong, by the way, I personally would have cut my losses earlier instead of waiting this long but they clearly don't really want him back, they just want him tied up to hopefully sell him and recoup some of their money. The risk with that is that he continues getting hurt and plummets his value completely as an irrecuperable case. In that case, they are stuck for another 4-5 years paying him with no return and less funds available to improve the team. They don't want to do that and they probably also can't afford to do that at this point, even for the figures we are talking about. They most likely are asking him for a serious pay cut and you can see how they could have offered for the cut to be made up by performance bonuses based on appearances. You can say it's fair play from them, but no player will accept that. I'm sure his agent asked for a raise, that's his job, but my only point of contention is in Dembele asking for ridiculous sums like 36m/year. I think it's much closer to half of that and I disagree with you that Barcelona would jump at that in their current situation.

 

[Zoo]

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[Ali Dia]

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“he’s important but he’s also not at all important”