The stats that prove why Barcelona will face strong competition for Dembele this summer
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 11 Apr 2022 11:53 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona secured a late win once again against Levante on Sunday to continue their excellent run of form as they approach the end of the season.
It was their seventh win on the bounce as they continued their unbeaten streak to 15 matches – the longest in Europe’s top five leagues.
One of the talking points once again was Ousmane Dembele, who has revitalised his career in recent months following Xavi replacing Ronald Koeman on the touchline.
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The French winger provided the assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s equaliser, and it was his 11th assist in La Liga – the joint-most along with Karim Benzema.
Dembele’s Barcelona career has been ridiculed with injury problems, but that seems to be a thing of the past now, and the stats prove it.
Dembele's impressive 2022 so far
His assist yesterday was his 12th in his last 18 appearances, further proving that Barcelona can’t afford to lose him on a free transfer once his contract runs out this summer.
The club and Dembele’s entourage have long been in discussions over extending the player’s contract, but have failed to come to terms yet and are hoping to find a solution soon.
Dembele’s assist yesterday meant that he became the Barcelona player with the most goal contributions this season (13), ahead of Memphis Depay, Ferran Torres and Jordi Alba (12), as well as Aubameyang (11).
It was also his ninth assist of the calendar year so far, the joint-most in Europe’s top five leagues, along with former Barcelona hero Lionel Messi.
In recent times, several Barcelona players including Torres and Aubameyang have spoken of their desire to see Dembele stay at the club, and with an impact like that, it’s easy to see why.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang speaking last night.
"Ousmane [Dembele] has to stay here at Barcelona."
The Gabonese isn't mincing his words. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RQNwFe4PFa— Football España (@footballespana_) April 11, 2022
In terms of offensive output and creation, there are only a few players in the team as creative as Dembele – only Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay have had more offensive moves leading to a shot than the Frenchman, and they’ve played considerably more matches.
Although Dembele hasn’t quite got the goalscoring numbers as his other team-mates, he has still proven to be an effective player, especially in 2022, and has been crucial to Barcelona’s rise in recent months.
It has been reported that several clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are interested in him, so Barcelona will have to move quickly and efficiently if they are to keep their man.
