Ousmane Dembéle: Has the French star’s disappointing time in Barcelona come to an ugly end?
After Neymar’s shocking departure to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona spent more than half the world record fee on the teenager who caused a sensation in the Bundesliga.
Barça reportedly paid a then-record transfer fee of €105 million (€119m) for Dembélé in 2017, although the transfer fee could rise to €140 million (€158.5m) and the Frenchman is said to be worth around €20 million (€22. Earn 5 million euros per year.
But instead of filling Neymar’s big shoes, Dembélé has become – perhaps unfairly – a symbol of the Catalan club’s financial mismanagement in an era that has seen the club relegated from Champions League contender to Europa League contender.
Dembélé’s time at the club now seems to be coming to an end – an end that none of those involved would have expected five years ago.
The 24-year-old only has six months left on his contract, but Barcelona’s precarious financial situation means the club would prefer him to leave in January as they continue to struggle to sign new players.
On Thursday, Barça published an interview with its football director Mateu Alemany, who said Dembélé “should leave immediately” after the player and his agents rejected numerous offers to stay during months of negotiations.
READ: Comoros knock out Ghana in historic style on AFCON debut
“We started discussions with Ousmane and his agents in July,” Alemany said. “During that time, in six or seven months, we spoke, we had a dialogue, Barcelona made various offers to find a way for the player to stay with us.
“These offers were systematically rejected by his agents. It is obvious that the player does not want to stay in Barcelona and is not committed to the club’s future project.
“He and his agents were informed that he should leave the club immediately. The sporting conclusion that the coaching staff and the manager have drawn is that we don’t want players who are not committed to the project.”
However, Dembélé responded later on Thursday with a statement in which he stressed that he was still available to head coach Xavi and said he would not allow himself to be “blackmailed”.
Dembélé says he has been unable to justify anything he has read for four years and says he has had to endure “rumours” and people lying about him “shamelessly”.
“That ends today,” he wrote. “From today I will answer sincerely, without allowing myself to be blackmailed. I am 24 years old and like every human being, I have flaws and imperfections. I have experienced complicated moments, injuries, Covid has affected me.
“I forbid anyone to give the impression that I am not involved in the sports project. I forbid anyone to accuse me of any intentions that I never had. I forbid anyone to speak for me or my agents, to whom I completely trust.
“I’m still under contract and am fully available to my club and my coach. I always have everything for my teammates partnersgiven…that won’t change now.”
Barça’s off-pitch problems were compounded by an extra-time loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on Thursday, ending the team’s last chance of a realistic title win this season.
In reality, a trophy would have only papered over the troubles of the struggling club.
When Dembélé’s arrival at the Blaugrana should usher in a new era, this will also be the case with his departure. But it takes more than the departure of a dissatisfied player for the club to return to its former glory.
Also read:
Those: edition.cnn.com
2023-12-31 16:59:42
#Ousmane #Dembéle #French #stars #disappointing #time #Barcelona #ugly
