Dembele to Liverpool is a deal that works for no one
Robin Bairner
- 13 Nov 2021 18:24 GMT
- 3 min read
Ousmane Dembele has been linked with a January transfer from Barcelona to Liverpool.
The France international winger has featured only once for the Catalans this season, managing 25 minutes of a Champions League match against Dinamo Kiev before limping out of the game injured.
It has been a recurring theme throughout his Barcelona career, which has been frustratingly stop-start because of his repeated physical breakdowns.
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Nevertheless, Liverpool are linked with a move for Dembele by El Nacional.
Dembele to Anfield is not a deal that makes long-term sense for either club.
Why Barca can’t afford to sell Dembele
Barcelona’s financial position is clearly poor, but as Dembele has only seven months remaining on his contract, it makes little sense to sell him.
This is counter intuitive to an extent, but Barca would only receive a fraction of Dembele’s worth if they were to offload him now. Meanwhile, the strong restrictions in place regarding their ability to sign players means that they are unlikely to be able to sign a replacement of comparable ability.
Xavi has already said that he believes Dembele can become one of the strongest players in the world in his position if he can stay fit, why would he offload such a player unless he knew that there was either no prospect of him signing a new deal or gaining sufficient fitness?
Why Liverpool should avoid Dembele
Ousmane Dembele is a player who has long been linked to Liverpool, a club where there is a general sense that there needs to be greater competition offensively.
That could come into focus in January, when Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah depart for the African Cup of Nations. But the short-term loss of these players should not dictate a long-term transfer strategy.
Dembele’s injury record makes him too risky a proposition for Liverpool. He has spent half his time at Barcelona injured, and that does not bode well for the Reds, who play at such a fierce intensity under Jurgen Klopp. The risk of him breaking down frequently appears to be too great.
Liverpool are typically smart operators in the transfer market and they will likely recognise this. Barcelona, then, are likely to retain Dembele – but that may be no bad thing.
