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Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé has, so far, had a stop-start career at the Nou Camp. The Frenchman was tipped to be one of the face of a generation of upcoming footballers alongside fellow prodigies such as Jadon Sancho and Kylian Mbappé. However, injuries have gotten the better of the Barcelona man, and he is currently on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.
Dembélé has faced a host of injury layoffs at Barcelona, with recurring hamstring injuries being the most severely damaging ones. The French star has missed a whopping 50 games for Barcelona — and this is without considering the one-month layoff the winger had between the end of August and September 2019. When he arrived at the club in the aftermath of Neymar's departure to PSG, he missed 20 games for Barcelona due to a similar injury.
Barcelona's training methods not suited to Dembélé
In a report published by L'Equipe back in March 2020, the news outlet claimed that both Dembélé and Frenkie de Jong found it challenging to adapt to Barcelona's training methods. Upon the latter's arrival, he requested a personal trainer because the intensity of his training with Ajax was of a higher intensity. This is in contrast to the slower pace in training dictated by the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué.
Due to this discrepancy, it is said that during Barcelona's training, only 20% of Dembélé's running drills are sprints. However, during matchdays, that figure moves up significantly to 90%. This was revealed by the French outlet to be one of the major reasons behind the Barcelona winger's troubles.
The Frenchman's constant unavailability has led to him being always linked with a move away from Barcelona. This is particularly the case after it was revealed that Barcelona are willing to take a huge financial loss on the £135.5m they paid for him. His potential suitors are now wary, however, that it is a move that could backfire significantly.
That being said, however, there are reports that Europe's elite are still tracking Dembélé's progress and weighing up a move for him.
Juventus
Barcelona and Juventus are said to have been in negotiations for some time now as both clubs are interested in a few of their rivals' players. The Blaugrana have long-admired midfield controller Miralem Pjanić and have considered swap deals to land the Bosnian.
It has now been reported that Juve would be open to the idea of recruiting the injured Dembélé in the deal. However, they have reportedly asked for a loan with an option to buy given the 23-year-old's terrible injury record. Juve's credentials for silverware are already well-documented.
Juventus could most certainly be a superb move for the young winger as he will get a fresh start away from his torrid time in Catalunya. While doing so, he will also be playing alongside a stellar attacking line featuring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala. It also has to be noted however, that he will face a lot of competition for his spot should he be fit, given Juve's wealth of attacking options.
Arsenal
Arsenal have been keen on attempting to sign Dembélé since Arsène Wenger's time at the club. The Gunners have had a history of illustrious French internationals including the likes of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira and are an attractive destination for Les Bleus players. More so, Dembélé could potentially dovetail with former Ligue 1 attacker Nicolas Pépé.
The Barcelona winger presents a superb option, especially for the reported cut-price fee of £37m that the Catalans ask for. The problem arises, however, in the fact that Arsenal have a lot of first-team positions to improve this summer. The French star could be an unnecessary gamble for the Gunners given the coronavirus pandemic. On the other hand, he could also potentially miss out on trophies with a struggling Arsenal unit.
Should he regain fitness and move to North London, though, injuries aside, it could be a great move for the 23-year-old. He could form an exciting attacking line with the likes of his former teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, and Pépé.
PSG
French champions PSG pose a rather safe destination for Dembélé to consider. The Barcelona attacker will be back in his home country where he began his professional career with Rennes. With stars such as Mbappé and Neymar already among their ranks, they have a superb mix of youth and experience — something that could help Dembélé significantly.
Their brand of high-intensity, expansive football is something else that could bode well with the 23-year-old. The prospect of dovetailing with Mbappé while not needing to concentrate on defensive responsibilities could also be an appealing factor, given PSG's dominance in the country.
Another exciting factor could be that of Thomas Tuchel's stay in the French capital. The German has already coached the Barcelona winger at Borussia Dortmund, and he had an excellent season in Germany. The intensity at which Tuchel demands his team to train is something that could be a breath of fresh air for Dembélé.
It could potentially prove to be the safest of the reported clubs in for the Barcelona prodigy at this point.
