Dembele slammed by Arsenal legend after Gunners links
Cameron Smith
- 6 Nov 2023 14:15 GMT
- 3 min read
Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele has been slammed by his compatriot Emmanuel Petit for “consistently wasting opportunities” after an underwhelming start to the 2023-24 season.
Dembele, 26, joined PSG from Barcelona for €50 million this summer, but the Frenchman has failed to score in 13 matches for his new club.
He has provided three assists, all in Ligue 1, however the opening few months of his life in Paris have not gone as planned.
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Barcelona wanted to retain Dembele during the summer, with Xavi keen on keeping hold of the France international, but his poor form at PSG and the emergence of La Masia wonderkid Lamine Yamal means Barca will likely be thankful for offloading Dembele when they did.
Despite his summer move to the Parc des Princes, Dembele was linked with a transfer to the Premier League in September, just weeks after he joined PSG.
The Mirror reported that Arsenal and Tottenham were among the clubs interested in signing him after a lacklustre start in Ligue 1.
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Now, the 26-year-old has been slammed by former Arsenal midfielder Petit, who does not want to see Dembele at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners legend told Diario AS: “I wouldn’t sign him. He constantly wastes opportunities and doesn’t score goals. He’s had a difficult start at PSG, which is why I wouldn’t be in favour of bringing Dembele to Arsenal.”
What else has been said?
Petit is not the only former Premier League star to express their concerns over Dembele’s consistency either.
Frank Leboeuf told Casinos EnLigne in October: “When Ousmane Dembele is in a good mood, he's unplayable. He doesn't even know what his best foot is and, when he runs, there's no catching him.
“He could play for anyone, but his biggest issue is consistency. You don't know what you're going to get from him.
“The best players, like [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Kylian] Mbappe, [ Robert] Lewandowski and [Erling] Haaland are all consistent and score goals. Dembele could play for Arsenal or Tottenham, but there'll always be question marks over him.”
