Alves encourages Barcelona to make use of Dembele while they can

Veteran fullback Dani Alves suggested that Barcelona should make use of attacker Ousmane Dembele while he is still at the club’s disposal. After being unable to secure a departure from the club during the January transfer window, the 24-year-old is set to remain at the Blaugranes until the end of the season when his contract expires.

Unwilling to keep Dembele at the club, Barcelona president Joan Laporta wants Dembele to remain in the stands for the rest of the season. Alves, however, does not agree with this approach.

“As long as he is still at Barcelona, we have to defend him. If he leaves at the end of the season, then fine… but there are still five months left and we have to take advantage of the fact that he is still here,” Alves stated during an interview with Movistar+.

Alves went on to explain how, regardless of any potential departure, Dembele still has five months left on his contract, meaning that the Catalans could still take advantage of his talents during the later stages of the season. Former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart seems to agree with Alves’s sentiment, explaining that the club should allow Dembele to play in order to get some returns for the wages that they pay the player.

Where does Barcelona go from here?

Prior to the January transfer window, Barcelona approached Dembele with a new contract which the player refused, demanding a pay increase. Unwilling to meet Dembele’s wage demands, Barcelona suggested that Dembele search for a new club in January so that the Catalans are able to use the revenue from his transfer to bring in new players. With the player unwilling to leave the club, there is now a possibility for Barca to consider terminating Dembele’s contract in order to avoid paying further wages to the player and therefore free up club funds.

Should Barca use or bench Dembele?