Ousmane Dembele: None of Chelsea, PSG or Man Utd wanted you
Robin Bairner
- 14 Jul 2022 12:13 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona have confirmed that Ousmane Dembele has signed a new contract at Camp Nou that will tie him to the club until 2024.
Despite the prodigious talent of the France international winger, Barcelona struggled to win a one-horse race for the former Rennes and Dortmund winger, who became a free agent on 30 June when his previous deal expired.
Remarkably, Dembele had not been approached by any other clubs with a view to a transfer, with other issues overshadowing his undoubted talent.
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Why did no one want Dembele?
Sure, there were links – Chelsea, PSG and Manchester United were all significantly touted to be interested in him, while there was even a brief suggestion that he could sign for Arsenal – but ultimately he was overlooked by each without an approach being made.
PSG, for example, did not want to sign Dembele for fears over his physical condition. He has regularly missed long periods of action with Barcelona because of injury, and last term managed to play just 21 league matches. Indeed, during his five years at Barcelona, Dembele has played 55% of league matches.
Premier League clubs Chelsea and Manchester United have also turned their nose up at him. The Blues moved on to look at other wide men and have since secured Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, while United did not make an approach, despite the need for wide forwards.
As FootballTransfers revealed, one of the reasons that no one made a move for him were his actions in this saga.
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Quite how much of a success tying Dembele down to a contract extension is for Barcelona is, therefore, questionable. He might have wanted to leave the club in order to secure better wages elsewhere, but there were simply no other offers on the table.
Given the strength in depth of Barca’s attacking options as well as their difficult financial position, meanwhile, they are taking a risk in tying the injury-prone Dembele down to another two years at the club. After all, there was a reason why a succession of major clubs have overlooked him.
Read more about: La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Barcelona, Chelsea, Man Utd, PSG, Ousmane Dembélé
