Barcelona: Dembele sale a BLESSING IN DISGUISE
Tom Weber
- Updated: 2 Aug 2023 16:40 BST
- 3 min read
Though Barcelona head coach Xavi has expressed his bitter disappointment about Ousmane Dembele's decision to leave the Camp Nou, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
The Blaugrana's erstwhile record signing has accepted Paris Saint-Germain's offer after they approached him shortly before the deadline of his €50 million release clause passed. They couldn't pay it in time, but a 'private clause' in the Frenchman's contract still enabled the Parisians to get him for that fee and he duly assented to a move.
Xavi was left fuming with Dembele because the 26-year-old had never once expressed the desire to leave and, claims the Spanish coach, Barcelona had taken good care of him.
READ: SAVAGE attack on Ousmane Dembele: ‘Only good enough to clean my boots’
Yet despite all of this and the fact that they could potentially have got more money out of a sale given that they paid €135m in 2017, this transfer could actually be good news for Barcelona.
Financial wiggle room and a big chance
According to the calculations of journalist Toni Juanmarti, the oft-injured winger cost Barcelona €1m per match played, so not only are the cash-strapped Catalans getting a massive earner and financial commitment off the books, they are also pocketing a solid transfer fee, though they will not receive the entire €50m.
This allows them to give signing Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo another shot after Pep Guardiola prevented a deal from happening in January, with the Portuguese eventually ending up on loan at Bayern Munich.
Bringing in a right-back is Xavi's transfer priority and Cancelo is his desired option. The money earned from the Dembele sale could go a long way towards striking a deal with the treble winners.
READ: Barcelona to steal Arsenal target as Guardiola gifts Xavi transfer dream
Moreover, the Frenchman's exit frees up a spot on the wings and could therefore prove beneficial to the players Barcelona already have on their roster. Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati have thus far not lived up to expectations, while Ez Abde needs game time to develop.
More minutes will now be available for these players, which can only be a good thing. Case in point, Ansu Fati recently scored the winner in a pre-season friendly against AC Milan.
