Borussia Dortmund youngster Ousmane Dembele landed himself in a spot of bother this morning, after he refused to turn up for training amid interest from Barcelona.
The La Liga giants are keen to splash the cash following Neymar’s £198 million transfer to PSG and according to reports, Dembele is the man Barcelona want as a replacement.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a fantastic Bundesliga debut last season, scoring 6 goals and creating 12 assists for his team-mates.
However, Dembele’s suitability goes far beyond numbers on a spread sheet.
It’s the way in which the former Rennes star carries himself, his creativity with the ball at his feet and his willingness to try the unthinkable which has drawn Barca’s interest.
So, here are five clips which show Barcelona are spot on for targeting Dembele:
1. Everything He Did vs Schalke
That time when Dembele's individual plays were the highlights of both Schalke and Dortmund
SOOOOOO GOOD pic.twitter.com/Z5QpVq8owG
— Set peices from OD's (@BreathingMessi) August 8, 2017
Dortmund may only have mustered a 1-1 draw with Schalke in the Ruhr derby back in April, but Dembele was at his magical best.
He looked lively throughout the 90 minutes, terrorising Benjamin Stambouli, hitting the post and teeing up Shinji Kagawa to assist Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
These highlights show Dembele will need to work on his final product to come anywhere close to the sort of stats Neymar can put up.
However, they also make it abundantly clear that this is a player with the raw materials to learn from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez and improve in the future.
2. He Sent Franck Ribery for a Hotdog
? @FranckRibery may still be king, but young fellow Frenchman @Dembouz still got the better of him with this skill in the #Supercup ? pic.twitter.com/oOsNsONcod
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) August 9, 2017
A common criticism aimed at young players with flamboyant highlight packages is, ‘can he do it against the big teams?’
Dembele showed that confidence in spades when he rinsed fellow Frenchman Franck Ribery during the DFL-Supercup.
Much like Neymar, Dembele appears to have the swagger and self-confidence needed to hang with Barcelona’s star-studded front-line.
3. He’s No Wallflower
Disesi latihan Dortmund, Ousmane Dembele ribut sama Burki, kiper Dortmund. pic.twitter.com/GOyQ8exmJq
— ᴍʙʟᴏ (@JombloFootballs) August 1, 2017
Dembele was involved in a training ground altercation with goalkeeper Roman Bürki earlier this month – the video of which was later used to fuel speculation that the winger is unhappy at Dortmund.
While violent confrontations on the training field won’t be what Ernesto Valverde is looking for this season, Dembele showed he’s not the type of player to be walked over by his team-mates.
Rather than sitting back and enjoying the ride, this is a player who’s passionate and eager to be the main man and one doesn’t care who stands in his way.
4. He’s Rapid
Most teams that rock up to the Nou Camp for a match have one thing on their mind – park the bus.
That mentality means Barca often have to attack with purpose and pace to break down defences.
Not that this should prove a problem for Dembele, who appears to have rocket fuel in his boots.
5. He Can Score Em’ Too
To play in Barca’s front three, pace, determination and fire in your belly isn’t enough.
You need to be able to score too.
And while Dembele is still learning his craft in this respect, he’s already show casing his ability for finding the net, as he does in this clip against Manchester United.
So, what do you think, is Dembele the right choice to replace Neymar?
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