Ousmane Dembele
According to Spanish outlet AS (h/t The Sun), Arenal are planning to sign Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele in the summer.
Dembele, 22, came through the ranks of Stade Rennes’ youth system and moved to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2016. He established himself as one of the best young wingers at Signal Iduna Park and was instrumental in Dortmund’s success in the DFB Pokal that season.
After 50 games with the Bundesliga side, he was signed by Barcelona in the following season. However, he has found it hard to keep his fitness intact and has struggled with several injuries in his three seasons at Camp Nou. He has fallen out of favour and the Spanish giants are looking to sell him at the earliest, as per the report.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have managed to recover from their worst start to the season under Unai Emery. The arrival of Mikel Arteta has seen a better performance from the team and many players who were below-par in their performance have shown promising signs.
Arsenal’s attacking unit has come to the fore with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line brilliantly, scoring 17 goals so far. Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette, who was out of form in between, has started scoring of late.
Youngsters Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah have also done a good job in their respective appearances. The Brazilian teenager has been brilliant throughout. At the same time, summer signing Nicolas Pepe has come lively under Arteta. Reiss Nelson is another youngster who has broken through the youth ranks and is showing signs of promise.
The Gunners have a plethora of young and exciting forwards and hence, signing Ousmane Dembele would make no sense.
The 22-year-old has struggled with injuries in all the three seasons he has been with Barcelona. He has featured in just 5 la Liga games this term and has scored just 1 goal in the process. He would be a waste of resources if Arsenal sign him.
Despite getting fewer opportunities, the Frenchman has struggled to live up to the expectations and it would be even more difficult for him to cope with the Premier League’s intensity, especially because of his fitness issues. Therefore, it would be wise of the Gunners to not take a chance on him.
The form of Pepe has been crucial to the team and he also has a backup in Nelson. Arteta should instead look to bring reinforcements to other positions and add depth to his squad. Therefore, Arsenal should avoid signing Dembele in the summer.
