Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona with much promise.
The Blaugrana spent £135.5m on his services in 2018 and, although that represented a rather huge outlay, it still seemed like it could end up being good business. After all, the France international was coming off the back of a season with Borussia Dortmund during which he had scored eight goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions.
The big fat Liverpool quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Anfield?
However, during his time at the Camp Nou, he has managed just 19 goals and 17 assists in 74 matches. Not awful, but not good enough considering his price tag. He has also been in trouble off the pitch, with him turning up late to training and having worrying addictions to video games and junk food.
It seems he could be on his way out of the door, though, and Liverpool is being touted as a potential destination. According to El Desmarque, the Reds are interested, and Barca would be willing to let him leave for a fee of €100m (£84.9m).
Would he be a good signing for the Anfield outfit? We ask four Football FanCast writers for their verdicts.
James Beavis
“He may still be young and learning at the age of 22, but Ousmane Dembele simply doesn’t strike me as the type of player Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would like to have in his tight-knit squad, especially for €100m. The German likes players that are willing to work hard for the team and are efficient in what they do in attack, and the Frenchman simply doesn’t fit the bill right now.
“His record of 19 goals and 17 assists in 74 appearances for Barcelona is hardly that impressive given the calibre of players he is playing with and the fact that he could end up costing £135.5m. In addition, he has been struck down with a hamstring issue this season that has limited him to just nine outings in all competitions, scoring one goal.
“The fact he missed training and was suspended by Borussia Dortmund prior to his move to Barcelona is hardly a glowing endorsement of his character either. Klopp doesn’t need a player like him, and Liverpool would be wise to spend their money elsewhere.”
Charles Jones
“Liverpool signing Ousmane Dembele would ultimately cement their spot as being the best side in Europe. The Reds have sometimes been overly reliant on their current front-three and there have been questions around how they would cope if injuries affected any of their star players, but signing a two-footed winger from Barcelona would solve a number of issues.
“Dembele could replace Mane or Salah if either man was unavailable, so that’d be a brilliant bonus. However, €100m is a lot to throw away on someone who would really only be a backup player. However, Liverpool didn’t spend all that much last summer so they may have a big window in store. He’d be a brilliant signing, but Liverpool must look at their finances before making the move.”
Jack Saville
“Despite his suitability to Klopp’s system, a move for Dembele would be a major gamble for Liverpool. His chequered history away from the field has raised plenty of doubts about his commitment to Barcelona, and Klopp could do without a potentially toxic influence upsetting the dynamic of a settled dressing room. The attacker has been late for training on more than one occasion, missed a medical to assess the extent of his own injury and been accused of having an unhealthy obsession with video games. Regardless of his outstanding talent, these issues make any deal simply too much of a risk for the club.”
Matt Dawson
“This would be a real statement of intent from the European and World champions. Ousmane Dembele is a player who possesses a wealth of talent and snatching one of Barcelona’s most promising players away would say a lot about the lure Liverpool now have. €100m (£84.8m) would be a considerable amount of money but when you consider that another target with far less quality in Adama Traore has been touted at £70m, it would be a snip.
“Dembele is certainly better than Traore, something his eight goals and five assists last season would attest to. In comparison, the Spaniard registered a solitary goal. “If there is a choice between the two, Dembele is definitely the man they should pursue. The 22-year-old is a rampant winger who’s completed 2.7 dribbles per game throughout his career, while offering a regular creative threat of 1.6 key passes. He’d be a terrific signing and would add greater strength in numbers to Liverpool but the question has to be asked. Do they need to spend so much money on a forward when they already have Salah, Mane and Firmino? I think not.”
In other news, Liverpool eye this youngster “worth €300m”.