After a string of impressive performances under Ronald Koeman this season, it looks like Ousmane Dembele might be rewarded with a contract renewal. But does the Frenchman deserve one?
Football is a fun game. Eleven people run behind a ball, score goals, and, in the end, money wins. Nowadays, youngsters are poached away from their team for ludicrous amounts as currency prevails in its bid to control the sport.
Barcelona have been at the heart of most of these excessive transfers. Neymar, Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele have either departed or joined Camp Nou for a ludicrous amount of money. Of the four, Dembele is probably the most talked-about, as he heads into his fourth season as a Barcelona player, despite managing to make just 56 appearances in the league.
Yet, when he joined Camp Nou, he was touted to replace Neymar. Barring finishing, they were already quite similar anyway – skills, changes of pace, two-footedness; Dembele had the lot.
However, football never pans out the way everyone would want to, and the footballing gods sacrifice some players along the way. The French winger was one of those interesting yet unlucky players. Plagued by injuries, the 23-year-old has had to redefine himself for the past four seasons.
He first came as an exciting youngster, but his lengthy injury in his first start for the club would be an early dagger in a dark spell. Then, in his second season, the winger had a few purple patches. He won many points for his club en-route a La Liga title but got injured in the crucial moments as his side would suffer another Remontada. Finally, in his latest season – 2019/20, he made no more than nine appearances.
It is fair to acknowledge that the youngster’s career at Barça has not been successful. Other than a few decent performances, where his talent and potential were crystal-clear, he has not been as consistent as the player he had to replace.
After three years in Catalonia, and many rumours linking him with other clubs, Dembélé might now finally get to experience a full season. After three years of hell, there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Continue reading