Former Barcelona President give his two cents on the Dembele Saga
While many will say that Barcelona had a positive and fruitful transfer window, some might point out their huge loss as well. The Catalans did bring in Ferran Torres, Adama Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang however, they were unable to offload Ousmane Dembele which is a huge downfall. The player who was brought in for more than 100 million euros barely had any proper impact on the team and most of his time with the Catalans was spent injured. Having said that, he was also incredibly talented and Xavi Hernandez wanted to keep the player, however, his wage demands were ludicrous and thus an agreement could not be reached.
The player was asked to leave the club in January so that Barca could at least get some money from his transfer however, Dembele was not keen on doing that either and now they have a 100 million euros benchwarmer. Xavi still wants to play him however, the board does not want him to wear the Blaugrana shirt again. According to former president, Joan Gaspart, Dembele has to play if the manager wants him to play and there is no second thought to that. He said in an interview with Radio Marca,
"“We are not here to give educational lessons, you have to play, plus you get paid. As he is going to charge the same and is a great player… I would make him play unless he doesn’t charge for not playing.”Source Sport"
He went on to say that Dembele has not been the most consistent player on the field due to his lack of fitness however, he did say that when the French player was fit, he was one of the most talented players on the pitch. There is no doubt that the player is extremely talented and maybe he would have found his footing under the managerial commands of Xavi however, there is a very little chance of him staying now.
What should Barca do with Ousmane Dembele?