Ousmane Dembele

[Red_toad]

I think we have a group with a lot of good attitudes and that can be contagious, as anyone who wants to be a part of the group and fit in would have to try and emulate that as well as possible.

With the likes of Ole as manager, Maguire as captain, and characters such as Rashford, Fred, Scott, AWB, etc, I think we can afford to bring in a very talented young man like Dembele who could possibly grow into a more mature version of himself when surrounded by such guidance.

It's a risk I think we should take for 37 mil especially since as @JPRouve said, he's not a bad character per se, just immature and needing better direction than he got at Barca. The fact that he would fit our playstyle a lot better than Barca's would be an added bonus.

And truth be told, there seems to be a real lack of quality left footed attackers, so it's a great opportunity to pick up one who isn't just left footed, but very two footed, at a discount.

Are you suggesting Messi isn't a great character with a great motivation? I suppose Barca have won everything possible by sitting back and not giving a shit and he's just fallen into the grove? Lad should aspire to be on the same pitch as them and give it his all.
Lad has heaps of potential, but so did Ravel and we still see people wanting him back at United. He was very very good at Dortmund, but seems very much out of his dept at Barca.

He's been criticised at Barca and by his national coach. He needs to show greater maturity. For 37 million (which is huge amount of cash) Ole will be looking at someone a bit more grounded.

 

[Cliche Guevara]

Will never forgive him for fecking up those two easy chances at the end of the Liverpool game.

 

[SAFMUTD]

Injuries yes he’s had a nightmare but the rest isn’t true. At one point in his brief injury free spell he was their best player and pulling them through games.

I somehow doubt they are selling for 37mil but if he was available at that price then he‘d be worth the gamble in my opinion But depends on what is happening with Sancho.

Feel he’d fit in quite well with what Ole looks to be trying to build in a playing style. More suited to that than he is Barca’s way of playing.

Please remind me what spell are you talking about? when did he was their best player and pull barca?

This season 2019/2020 between UCL and La Liga he has 9 appereances with a xG of 5 goals and grand total of 1 goal. That goal was the 3-0 against Sevilla which ended 4-0 and where Dembele ended up with a red card.

Those numbers hardly coincede with your argument about him being the best player and pulling his team.

 

[Jericholyte2]

A club that’s at the level where we need to get back to are willing to make a €100m loss on him after continuous reports of immature unprofessional behaviour hindering his progress, yeah we should jump at the chance.

 

[davidmichael]

Ravel Morrison had issues with justice, Dembélé has never done anything that would put him anywhere close to a version of Ravel Morrison. The closest player would be Sancho.

The comparison I was making was in being hyped as a super kid that would become on the best players on the planet only to waste their potential, nothing to do with the reasons behind it all.

People at United back then said Morrison was the star of that youth team and the most naturally gifted young player they’d seen but for whatever reason it never happened and I see the same thing happening with Dembele, for whatever reason a player that’s been hailed by some as more naturally talented than Mbappe doesn’t seem to want to fulfil his potential and in a few years I see him being at a mid level European team.

 

[fps]

Oh no, Ravel Morrison's name again.... it's like people who only know the Nazis from history.

 

[beingshe7don]

I find it hilarious alot have bad attitude blinkers. Why doesnt a players personality become an important factor to people, Fergie and Gill where huge on profiling players personalitys before signing them it was a big part of their success that fell by the wayside when they both left

Dembele was one of the sought after talents just 3 to 4 years back. Some players have a bad attitude in general whereas some are just immature and the fame gets to them a little too quicker for them to handle. He got bought for a huge price tag and he was filling Neymar's shoes which was huge. Also he was playing next to Messi who gets the center stage with the other players playing around him to accommodate him. Dembele is used to playing in a team where is the peripheral figure. Also, the guy is one player who can make a HUGE difference. He's only 23 now and I'm sure he'll want to prove a lot of people wrong and live up to his true potential. Players like Ibrahimovic, Sanchez, Coutinho and Dembele are not bad players even if it didn't work out for them at Barca. We've got a decent French speaking contingent at United with the likes of Pogba and Martial who could help him settle. Yes, he has been injury prone at Barca but at 37m, that's a steal. The guy has the ability to change games within minutes. He's just as good with his left and right foot. Also, he fits in with Ole's counter attacking approach. I'm sure everyone's seen the video where he left Walker behind when playing for France. I still think if a manager like Ole shows some faith in him, he could end up doing really well.

 

[beingshe7don]

The comparison I was making was in being hyped as a super kid that would become on the best players on the planet only to waste their potential, nothing to do with the reasons behind it all.

People at United back then said Morrison was the star of that youth team and the most naturally gifted young player they’d seen but for whatever reason it never happened and I see the same thing happening with Dembele, for whatever reason a player that’s been hailed by some as more naturally talented than Mbappe doesn’t seem to want to fulfil his potential and in a few years I see him being at a mid level European team.

O Dembele won the World Cup with France. Dembele was the best player at Dortmund before he left them for Barca. So the comparisons with Ravel just makes no sense. Ravel had only made a name for himself in the United u16s, u18s and u23s and beyond that, he hasn't done shit. I can guarantee that if he can keep himself fit, the guy will get back to his best.

 

[Bebestation]

Im not his biggest fan even though I wanted a left footed right winger for years -

However if 37 million is true then that's just ridiculous, that's like half of James Maddison money & 13 million less than grieliesh money and he's worth it to even just to make our squad more complex.

I doubt it's TRUE but I'd say if hes available around the £45 million mark then we cant avoid that opportunity just to be loyal to players like James & Chong. If we have the opportunity to build a city like squad then I do want it.

 

[beingshe7don]

Are you suggesting Messi isn't a great character with a great motivation? I suppose Barca have won everything possible by sitting back and not giving a shit and he's just fallen into the grove? Lad should aspire to be on the same pitch as them and give it his all.
Lad has heaps of potential, but so did Ravel and we still see people wanting him back at United. He was very very good at Dortmund, but seems very much out of his dept at Barca.

He's been criticised at Barca and by his national coach. He needs to show greater maturity. For 37 million (which is huge amount of cash) Ole will be looking at someone a bit more grounded.

Just want to make a note that a lot of players who've supposedly haven't done so well at Barca, but have gone onto play well at other clubs
1. Zlatan
2. Sanchez
3. Coutinho
4. Yaya Toure
5. Adama Traore

 

[Bondi77]

Can you imagine if he was our player with his injury record and we asked for 37mil for him?
We would be laughed out of town

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Just want to make a note that a lot of players who've supposedly haven't done so well at Barca, but have gone onto play well at other clubs
1. Zlatan
2. Sanchez
3. Coutinho
4. Yaya Toure
5. Adama Traore

I'm sure you could make a whole team with players that failed at Barca but succeeded elsewhere

 

[Red_toad]

Just want to make a note that a lot of players who've supposedly haven't done so well at Barca, but have gone onto play well at other clubs
1. Zlatan
2. Sanchez
3. Coutinho
4. Yaya Toure
5. Adama Traore

Sanchez was very good at Barca, not sure where you get he wasn’t from? Adama was a kid when he left and had massively experienced players ahead of him, it’s what Barca do sell youngsters with buy back clauses. Ibra fell out with Pepe. Coutinho though a flop, has been professional and got on with earning a living and wanting to play, kinda the opposite of Dembele. As for Yaya he was good for Barca, but he got eased out of the team by possibly the best midfield trio in the last 20/30 years, that doesn’t make him a flop, more he wanted more playing time and he wasn’t going to get it at Barca.
I don’t get what Dembele has shown that would give anyone the idea that he can suddenly become a consummate professional after joining his dream club, where he’s flopped badly and would rather eat crap and play on his PlayStation with his mates, than get his head down and prove people wrong. Please enlighten me?

 

[Edy2]

Steer clear. We should have learned our lesson at this stage. Stay away from injury prone players with questionable attitudes regardless of hype around them.

 

[Adisa]

Any player in history that retained the same explosiveness after repeated hamstring injuries? Even Bale lost some acceleration speed.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

Please remind me what spell are you talking about? when did he was their best player and pull barca?

This season 2019/2020 between UCL and La Liga he has 9 appereances with a xG of 5 goals and grand total of 1 goal. That goal was the 3-0 against Sevilla which ended 4-0 and where Dembele ended up with a red card.

Those numbers hardly coincede with your argument about him being the best player and pulling his team.

There was a brief spell around November through to January 18/19 where he was their best player and as I said the one pulling them through games because they sucked and he was the only one doing anything. Then he was injured.

Goals and assists aren’t the only thing that make performances either remember.

See he is now being linked with Juventus for some kind of swap deal anyway but at 37mil if true he’d fit in well with the way Ole seems to want to play and can play on either wing or centrally.

 

[cyberman]

Take him on loan with an option to buy ala Coutinho. The upside is too tempting, especially with how Ole is improving individual players we all thought were gone

 

[Cee90]

Will never forgive him for fecking up those two easy chances at the end of the Liverpool game.

I suspect that he has issues dealing with situations in high pressure environments, especially when he has a lot of time of think about it. Perhaps one of the reasons he hasn’t set the world alight at Barcelona as the expectation is so huge?

I still remember this video from his Barcelona presentation:

 

[Gordon S]

Injuries are a bigger concern imo than him being immature. 37m could be an absolute steal if he can recover 100%

 

[JPRouve]

I suspect that he has issues dealing with situations in high pressure environments, especially when he has a lot of time of think about it. Perhaps one of the reasons he hasn’t set the world alight at Barcelona as the expectation is so huge?

I still remember this video from his Barcelona presentation:

No it's just injuries. While he is a frustrating player because he makes the complicated look easy and the easy sometimes look complicated he has actually been productive when on the field and he hasn't really had a long period of time where he was fit and in rhythm. For Barcelona he currently has a G+A every 114.6 minutes for comparison Mané for Liverpool has recorded a G+A every 119.5 minutes.

I have the gut feeling that he needs to leave Barcelona, I personally think that it's a cesspit of a football club and that every players are their own with Bartomeu as president, it will also take them a few years to fix themselves up. Someone like Dembélé needs a different type of club, it's not a good thing but he needs to be manhandled and there are only a few clubs/managers that would do that United, Juventus, Bayern, Pep's City and Liverpool.
The real worry for me concerns fitness, he is basically the new Robben, I wanted to see United take the gamble that Bayern took but it's easy to understand why anyone would be wary.

 

[BenitoSTARR]

I’d avoid purely based on injuries. He’s an explosive player and keeps getting injuries. That doesn’t bode well.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I’d avoid purely based on injuries. He’s an explosive player and keeps getting injuries. That doesn’t bode well.

Yep. If he was a 20/30m bargain it could be worthwhile but for the £100m+ Barca would want it's financially a massive risk.

 

[flappyjay]

I’d avoid purely based on injuries. He’s an explosive player and keeps getting injuries. That doesn’t bode well.

He playing style definitely fits us but the injuries are a huge red flag. Barcelona would probably persist with him longer if it wasn't for injuries.

 

[BenitoSTARR]

Yep. If he was a 20/30m bargain it could be worthwhile but for the £100m+ Barca would want it's financially a massive risk.

The thing is I think even for £20/30m you don’t want to be bringing in an injury prone winger to the PL which is well known for being one of the more demanding physical leagues in terms of explosive pace etc.

I think it’s best summed up as another poster pointed out.

If United were selling an injury prone winger who has struggled how much would we expect to get for him? The answer to that question will tell you about his value to us.

 

[Sayros]

The comparison I was making was in being hyped as a super kid that would become on the best players on the planet only to waste their potential, nothing to do with the reasons behind it all.

People at United back then said Morrison was the star of that youth team and the most naturally gifted young player they’d seen but for whatever reason it never happened and I see the same thing happening with Dembele, for whatever reason a player that’s been hailed by some as more naturally talented than Mbappe doesn’t seem to want to fulfil his potential and in a few years I see him being at a mid level European team.

Demebele is still 10 times the player Morrison was though, it's not even a valid comparison in my book. When he is fit, even with all of his issues, he will perform and create goals. He was still instrumental to Barcelona last season in the big games where they needed a goal. People can remember the Liverpool misses all they want, it doesn't take away from what he did in La Liga and Copa Del Rey for Barcelona.

I think he's going to be one of the biggest disappointment for me, because I truly believe he has everything to be one of the best players in the world, but if the attitude towards training, sleeping well, eating well, and working on his fitness remains, it will all be wasted. It's still too soon to say he's done that, but he's well on his way.

That being said, I'd be shocked if Barcelona let him go for that cheap. I think it would take another season like he had this year for them to let him go at such a big loss. They need the money, but if they need it that bad they must be truly desperate financially.

 

[BenitoSTARR]

He playing style definitely fits us but the injuries are a huge red flag. Barcelona would probably persist with him longer if it wasn't for injuries.

His style when fit would fit most clubs as he clearly has talent and ability on his day but I think this is one to steer clear of and let another club take the chance on him. We aren’t in the position right now where skimping and saving on a RW with injury problems makes any kind of sense.

The fact he’s had long term hamstring problems at a young age just screams Michael Owen to me. It’s a shame but honestly I don’t see him making anywhere near the same level of impact he did at Dortmund ever again. I’d love to be proved wrong but too many wingers and forwards have had the same kind of issues at a young age and don’t know how to compensate for it. It’s actually a bit easier when these things happen mid to late twenties as they’ve usually played enough football at a good level of understanding of how to not just rely on pace. Giggs was a great example of this.

 

[NoPace]

If we can’t get Sancho he’s worth the gamble as long as the doctors sign off.

We have 3 promising young goalscorers who will need creativity to get them the ball and Dembele is special in that regard.

 

[croadyman]

If we can’t get Sancho he’s worth the gamble as long as the doctors sign off.

We have 3 promising young goalscorers who will need creativity to get them the ball and Dembele is special in that regard.

Yeah I agree with that

 

[He'sRaldo]

No it's just injuries. While he is a frustrating player because he makes the complicated look easy and the easy sometimes look complicated he has actually been productive when on the field and he hasn't really had a long period of time where he was fit and in rhythm. For Barcelona he currently has a G+A every 114.6 minutes for comparison Mané for Liverpool has recorded a G+A every 119.5 minutes.

I have the gut feeling that he needs to leave Barcelona, I personally think that it's a cesspit of a football club and that every players are their own with Bartomeu as president, it will also take them a few years to fix themselves up. Someone like Dembélé needs a different type of club, it's not a good thing but he needs to be manhandled and there are only a few clubs/managers that would do that United, Juventus, Bayern, Pep's City and Liverpool.
The real worry for me concerns fitness, he is basically the new Robben, I wanted to see United take the gamble that Bayern took but it's easy to understand why anyone would be wary.

The point about Barcelona is especially relevant. Coutinho, Griezmann, and now Dembele are very expensive attackers who have been labelled flops, and for at least two of them (arguably all three), their quality is undeniable. It makes me think there's something up with Barcelona as opposed to Dembele himself being a flop, especially as you pointed out that he's been productive when he's been on the pitch.

The problem with us taking that gamble is we don't have the best fitness history, as opposed to a club like Juventus. If I had the confidence we could handle such injuries I'd say 100% go for it, but for right now I'm still a bit reserved.

 

[Ali Dia]

For that price he could be a shrewd gamble.
- we have other young French players here to help him settle and if he is not as bad as the media say and he’s just the wrong fit for barca I’m sure martial and pogba would have an opinion on that if the manager was curious
- It’s probably easier to focus on football in Manchester
- it would be his last chance at one of the biggest clubs
- ole is supposedly very good with young players
- plenty of players deemed not good enough for the big 2 in Spain still go on to be talismanic for their next clubs
- he still clearly has world class potential
- the pressure of being such a huge transfer is off
- he will keep a value of 30-40 million whatever happens next.

Obviously if it was a straight choice between him and Sancho I’d take Sancho but If he could be probably be signed as a high quality squad option for under 40 million and on a heavily incentivised deal or a loan to buy it would be interesting. I think city might also be interested in taking a punt on him if Sane leaves. Outside chance he joins a club like Newcastle or Everton if the big clubs don’t bite. He needs to be very careful with his next move if he wants to stay relevant though.

 

[SAFMUTD]

There was a brief spell around November through to January 18/19 where he was their best player and as I said the one pulling them through games because they sucked and he was the only one doing anything. Then he was injured.

Goals and assists aren’t the only thing that make performances either remember.

See he is now being linked with Juventus for some kind of swap deal anyway but at 37mil if true he’d fit in well with the way Ole seems to want to play and can play on either wing or centrally.

I thought you were talking about the current season, which has been a shitcircus for him by far, I agree stats dont tell the whole story but they do give a pretty good idea.

I say let Juve have him, I stand by what I said I think he’s a rotten apple. A loan with buy option deal would be acceptable, but nothing more IMO.

 

[Craig Ward]

He's a strange one Dembele.

Dortmund are world renowned for spotting talent, nurturing it and selling when the time is right.

I'm not going to act like i watch every Dortmund game, but when i watched Dembele for Dortmund all i saw was raw talent, little glimpses of a player, i saw potential.

He was often on the edge of games, having no influence at all, then he'd burst into life and create something or score a goal from nothing. All he was, and probably still is is potential. For me, Barca gambled on that potential and they paid about 80 million too much, his value and even his potential value should be nowhere near the fee they paid. Dortmund hit the jackpot with that sale.

Dembele is a player capable of magic moments, but when these moments arent there he's a very very average footballer. He relies on his brilliance, but if he goes a game without such a moment he's not good enough at the simple things to make his presence on the field worthwhile. He's a 3/10 unless he does something magic, which he wont do every game and has done very little times in his career. He's 23 now and in no mans land, failing to reach his potential and his mentality and attitude in question. His injury record doesnt help him either.

Dembele will never success at Barca, simply because he isn;t a good enough footballer. His in-game football intelligence is lacking, he's average at the basics and unless he's the star man he doesnt seem interested. A player with good potential at the wrong club.

Demebe for us? Not a chance. I'd hate it if we signed him. He's over rated, and seems more trouble than he's worth. There are much better options out there.

If Barca value him as low as 37mil then they must be absolutely desperate to sell, and i for one wouldnt want him here whatever the cost.

 

[Sayros]

He's a strange one Dembele.

Dortmund are world renowned for spotting talent, nurturing it and selling when the time is right.

I'm not going to act like i watch every Dortmund game, but when i watched Dembele for Dortmund all i saw was raw talent, little glimpses of a player, i saw potential.

He was often on the edge of games, having no influence at all, then he'd burst into life and create something or score a goal from nothing. All he was, and probably still is is potential. For me, Barca gambled on that potential and they paid about 80 million too much, his value and even his potential value should be nowhere near the fee they paid. Dortmund hit the jackpot with that sale.

Dembele is a player capable of magic moments, but when these moments arent there he's a very very average footballer. He relies on his brilliance, but if he goes a game without such a moment he's not good enough at the simple things to make his presence on the field worthwhile. He's a 3/10 unless he does something magic, which he wont do every game and has done very little times in his career. He's 23 now and in no mans land, failing to reach his potential and his mentality and attitude in question. His injury record doesnt help him either.

Dembele will never success at Barca, simply because he isn;t a good enough footballer. His in-game football intelligence is lacking, he's average at the basics and unless he's the star man he doesnt seem interested. A player with good potential at the wrong club.

Demebe for us? Not a chance. I'd hate it if we signed him. He's over rated, and seems more trouble than he's worth. There are much better options out there.

If Barca value him as low as 37mil then they must be absolutely desperate to sell, and i for one wouldnt want him here whatever the cost.

I get what you're trying to say about his game, he does lack some of the basics to be able to be solid when he's not on his game, however his stats will tell you that he's at least fairly consistent in contributing when he is healthy and on the pitch. As far as his time in Dortmund, he was on the team of the season and rookie of the season, so he was a bit more than just potential and had a really solid season overall. He is on par with some of the best players at his position when it comes to g+a/min, but he is a drawback compared to some of those players in some of the silly decisions and execution he applies to the more simpler phases of the game, I can agree to that.

I would still take a shot at him because the upside is far better than the downsides, IMO, so long as he's not the only option you have available. He's fully capable of being dangerous on both wings, can deliver a great cross and final pass, he's faster than almost anybody out there, and he has so much room to grow in the simple things that can be taught it would be a shame no one is willing to take that chance on someone who just turned 23.

 

[seegoblu]

I wouldn’t want to sign him as a first choice RW solution given his injury history, but if we could add him (perhaps on loan with an option to buy) along side Sancho or Torres then I think the depth across the front three would be exceptional with James, Greenwood and Dembele each being quite flexible in terms of coverage. Sanchez, assuming he’s isn’t even able to be loaned out, would slot in as a bench player during the inevitable Dembele injury.

a firm handshake and a slap on the back to Mata, Lindgard and Andres for anything at all in the transfer market would be a net positive. If Smalling and Rojo are also moved as rumored, then I think the wage bill wouldn’t be impacted by the additions of a Sancho and Dembele.

 

[Bebestation]

The point about Barcelona is especially relevant. Coutinho, Griezmann, and now Dembele are very expensive attackers who have been labelled flops, and for at least two of them (arguably all three), their quality is undeniable. It makes me think there's something up with Barcelona as opposed to Dembele himself being a flop, especially as you pointed out that he's been productive when he's been on the pitch.

The problem with us taking that gamble is we don't have the best fitness history, as opposed to a club like Juventus. If I had the confidence we could handle such injuries I'd say 100% go for it, but for right now I'm still a bit reserved.

They have had a system for ages and used to kind of buy according to that system or like LVG called it, their 'philosophy'. However once you see Barcelona playing with Vidal, Griezmann, Dembele, Coutinho- & on top of that have to accomadate players like messi, suarez, de Jong (are they not as giving much game time to arthur) and others it's pretty clear that as good as they are that they dont have the strongest plan anymore. They kind of get some good players and see if they fit rather than looking at their squad and seeing what needs to be replaced properly, in which style and how much they would cost.

For me even the choice of manager has shown that something or someone isnt reading the Barcelona book as clearly and professionally as they should be doing.

 

[Rocknrolla69er]

Dembele was one of the sought after talents just 3 to 4 years back. Some players have a bad attitude in general whereas some are just immature and the fame gets to them a little too quicker for them to handle. He got bought for a huge price tag and he was filling Neymar's shoes which was huge. Also he was playing next to Messi who gets the center stage with the other players playing around him to accommodate him. Dembele is used to playing in a team where is the peripheral figure. Also, the guy is one player who can make a HUGE difference. He's only 23 now and I'm sure he'll want to prove a lot of people wrong and live up to his true potential. Players like Ibrahimovic, Sanchez, Coutinho and Dembele are not bad players even if it didn't work out for them at Barca. We've got a decent French speaking contingent at United with the likes of Pogba and Martial who could help him settle. Yes, he has been injury prone at Barca but at 37m, that's a steal. The guy has the ability to change games within minutes. He's just as good with his left and right foot. Also, he fits in with Ole's counter attacking approach. I'm sure everyone's seen the video where he left Walker behind when playing for France. I still think if a manager like Ole shows some faith in him, he could end up doing really well.

Sorry but with the huge question marks over Pogbas attitude and Martials attitude and application at times, would it be wise to through another tempermental countryman into the pot, i think its a recipe for disaster can you imagine the three of them getting there heads together

 

[He'sRaldo]

Sorry but with the huge question marks over Pogbas attitude and Martials attitude and application at times, would it be wise to through another tempermental countryman into the pot, i think its a recipe for disaster can you imagine the three of them getting there heads together

A good example of when I say people can be too worried about attitude at times. Those two are usually two of our better performers; for all the complaints about them, their quality usually contributes more than other players who have attitude as their only virtue.

And besides, the question marks are overstated IMO, but that's a different discussion.

 

[Brophs]

I think it was Sid Lowe on Second Captains a few months back who suggested that the physical training at Barca is quite lax; in part due to the likes of Messi and Pique no longer being able to do the same sort of conditioning work that they once could and it not being seen as the done thing to embarrass them by asking them to do things that wouldn't be capable of being competitive at within the squad. He referenced De Jong joining and quickly realising that he wasn't getting enough or proper fitness work to keep him in condition, so he now does a large part of his fitness work away from the club.He also suggested that it was possible that Dembele's problems, at least in part, may be down to that.

No idea how true or even well known that is, but it could be a thing, I guess.

 

[Luke1995]

This screams of Sanchez part 2

 

[fps]

How has Ravel Morrison got into this thread!! Hahaha he’s not even the poor man’s Januzaj!!