3 Barcelona players who are benefiting from Ousmane Dembele's arrival

Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona - La Liga
The perfect modern day winger - Ousmane Dembele

Being a part of a world-record transfer that sent shockwaves across the globe, Brazilian winger and star playmaker Neymar Jr left for PSG in the summer of 2017. It is the most expensive move in football history and cost PSG a staggering $528 million.

Neymar has won a Champions League title and 2 La Liga trophies, and a treble in the 2014-15 season in his short yet thrilling career with the Catalans. Well, the Brazilian was looking for a new challenge and PSG came with an offer he could not refuse.

Neymar's move to PSG was not anticipated by the board, and as a result, they were left stranded. Barcelona would have experienced a nasty season if they were to start their new campaign without a proper winger, and so, Dembele was the option.

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

It was a controversial move for the Frenchman, involving a lot of drama disagreements, but the move was completed for €120 million by the end days of the 2017 summer transfer market.

Dembele's first season at Barcelona has been dominated by injuries, and he could not make it into the first team last term. Despite going through an injury-prone first season with Barcelona, the 21-year-old has still managed to win hearts at the Camp Nou.

Neymar's departure was certainly a blow for the Catalan giants, as the Brazilian displayed consistent and quality performances week in week out. However, his departure and Dembele's arrival will help some of the players to get the best out of them.


#3 Luis Suarez

FC Barcelona v SD Huesca - La Liga
Barcelona ace Luis Suarez

One of the best strikers ever, Luis Suarez has been in sensational form since joining the Blaugrana from Liverpool in the summer of 2014. Since then, the Urugyuan has scored 20+ goals in every season. In addition to that, he has also been a great assist-provider.

However, last season, it was crystal clear that he missed his former teammate Neymar Jr. Leo Messi performed at his god-level as always, but Suarez lacked consistency.

The arrival of Dembele will help him improve as he has a playmaker alongside him, besides Leo Messi, that will certainly provide him with better passes and chances to convert, and eventually he will improve his scoring tally.

#2 Phillipe Coutinho

Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona - La Liga
Heir to Iniesta

The Brazilian shows great determination and commitment towards the game and has cemented his place as one of the best modern-day attacking midfielders - thanks to his incredible displays for Liverpool and Brazil.

Coutinho is highly talented and effective on the left flank, as he utilises his sheer pace to cut through defense.

Dembele's playmaking skills are immensely underrated, and with a CAM who is more eager to score than to create, Coutinho will have a great season ahead for sure.

Coutinho possesses a fantastic goalscoring knack with which he renders himself a real nightmare to opposition defenders. Dembele and Coutinho have shown great understanding on the pitch, and this will certainly help the latter in scoring more in the upcoming seasons.

#1 Leo Messi

FC Barcelona v SD Huesca - La Liga
FC Barcelona v SD Huesca - La Liga

With Neymar leaving for the French giants and Luis Suarez being out of form, it was Leo Messi, once again, who carried the attacking unit. Despite not having a proper winger and a misfiring striker, Barcelona managed to score 99 goals in a single season of La Liga - all thanks to the Messiah!

Leo ended his 2017-18 season with 34 goals and 12 assists to his name, winning the Pichichi and the European Golden Boot as well. He has single-handedly carried the attacking line-up of Barcelona and has done it with a certain degree of flair.

However, with Dembele in the squad, half of Messi's pressure is being divided with the Frenchman.

Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona - La Liga
Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona - La Liga

They possess similar skills and that helps them both. Messi can concentrate more on the goalscoring aspects, as Dembele's electrifying dribbles and explosive bursts down the right flank always ends up either as a goal or a perfect chance created.

When Messi is having an off day, which is pretty rare, there is a quality player alongside him who can take up his job of creating and assisting.

Quick Links

Edited by Nishant Jayaram