Dembel was signed by Barca for a hefty fee of 140 million euros, but his performance in the Blaugrana shirt did not justify that cost.

It seems a little odd that Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are “at wаr” over Ousmane Dembele, as the Frenchman is not a player worth figҺting for, at least not in the Blaugrana’s eyes, according to reports from Mundo Deportivo and Sport on Monday morning.

Naturally, PSG’s interest makes sense. Dembele is a football player of extraordinary skill. Luis Enrique has the potential to make the 26-year-old a genuine superstar if he can get him totally healthy and engaged. Xavi, who is rumored to have begged the player to “think about Neymar,” is aware of this as well. Neymar has long regretted switching from Camp Nou to Parc des Princes in 2017.

After Wednesday’s friendly against AC Milan, the Barcelona coach said, “I’m a little disappointed with Dembele.” “He’s made the decision to join PSG. Nothing can be done by us.”

Given that the majority of them had helped the striker get through a challenging six years at Camp Nou, some Blaugrana supporters were understandably incensed by Dembele’s alleged treachery. Even though Barcelona irritated Dembele by attempting to use him in their pursuit to recruit Kylian Mbappe, the fact that he has agreed to personal terms with PSG only makes the charges of lack of loyalty seem more severe.

But eventually, the rage will give way to relief because Barca has truly parted ways with one of the most disappointing players in history.

‘This guy is very special’

Dembele’s aptitude has long been apparent. Mikael Silvestre, the former sporting director of Rennes, calls Dembele the most naturally gifted young player he has seen since working with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. Thomas Tuchel feels it was amazing to watch Dembele’s “exceptional” skills in training at Borussia Dortmund, and Martin Braithwaite acknowledges that when Dembele joined Barcelona in 2020, he overwhelmed him.

“He is the most talented person I have ever seen. I meаn it,” the taken aback Dane exclaimed to Tot Costa. “Messi is exceptional, but I haven’t seen a player like Dembele since him. This man is unique.”

However, he has also demonstrated that he is a subpar and inconsistent professional.

Dembele’s life lacks discipline

Shortly before his first €105 million (£90 million / $116 million) transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, there were doubts about Dembele’s attitude. The French claimed that the French had destroyed the apartment he had rented from Jurgen Klopp in Germany.

It’s also important to keep in mind that, despite the fact that former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu openly declared that Dembele was superior that Neymar, the player he really replaced, the team may decide to cut losses on the striker as early as May. October of this year.

Dembele’s extreme lack of discipline was evident by that point. His habit of playing video games until the wee hours of the morning is the reason behind his constant tardiness for team meetings, and his nutrition is unfitting for a professional athlete. Numerous fast food boxes were discovered at his house, according to a source, and a nutritious fish dish made by his former chef was thrown out.

Michael Naya said, “It’s a messy life,” to Le Parisien. “He doesn’t seem to respect rest periods, but I’ve never seen alcоhоl.” There’s no organization surrounding him.” And many believe that Dembele’s way of living had a significant role in the multiple muscular injuries he sustained while playing for Barcelona.

‘When I was 20 years old, I was not as hardworking as I am now’

Despite acknowledging that his bad nutrition during his first few seasons in Catalunya had left him “very weak,” Dembele asserted in 2022 that he had learned from his mistakes and had entirely changed his way of thinking.

“I now realize that I have to put in a lot of work both on and off the field,” he said to Sport and Mundo Deportivo. “I didn’t work as hard as I do today when I was 20 years old, which is why I got injured. It goes without saying that you cannot enjoy football, play less, and rιsk ιnjury if you don’t work. “Now, I’m stronger.”

However, that is not how he actually is. Due to muscular issues, Dembele missed three months of the previous campaign. Even when he was well, he only showed glimpses of brilliance, managing just five goals in 25 La Liga games.

As usual with Dembele, there hasn’t been much of a finished product, but he has started for France at the 2022 World Cup and put a lot of defenders under duress with genuinely amazing runs of pace. He had just two assists and no goals in a team that made it to the championship game, and after his terrible performance, Didier Deschamps decided to take his position. four minutes prior to halftime, they left the field.

Can Dembele fill the void left by Mbappe?

On the other side, Mbappe’s efficacy and quality differed dramatically, which was hard for Barcelona to witness. Before Mbappe joined PSG the same summer as Neymar, Barca had an agreement of 155 million euros (£134 million / $184 million), according to agency Junior Minguella. However, in the end, it was determined that Dembele was “more suitable for the team’s playing style.”

After receiving a lot of negаtive feedback after sharing this tale on Radio Marca in February 2021, Minguella went on to confirm his allegations using WhatsApp messages and tweeted, “A gift for the haters and disbelievers.”

‘Dembele deserves special treatment’

Whatever the case, it is undeniable that Barcelona has suffered greatly as a result of the Dembele deal. Though Bartomeu has made a number of poor moves in the past, such as those involving Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho, none have proven to be as costly and ongoing a cause of aggravation as this one.

And it occurred in spite of Barca’s best efforts to make things work. In public, Dembele was frequently defended by Joan Laporta, Bartomeu’s successor, who insisted that “he deserves special treatment, because with these kind of genius players, you have to look after him.”

However, Dembele has only demonstrated that he is incapable of caring for himself. He is still far from compensating Barca for all of their time, money, and effort spent on him. It follows that their attempt to acquire Dembele in return for Mbappe is not surprising as they attempt to atone for a grave evaluation error committed six years prior.

The issue for Barca is that, as they end the season without Mbappe or Dembele, their endeavor looks to have failed terribly, which begs even more doubts about the prudence of their market decisions. The transfer market for the club and the wisdom of those making these choices

Barca is better without Dembele

Given everything that had happened before, Dembele’s departure from Barcelona to join PSG was somewhat of a fitting farewell, given his time at Camp Nou had always been marked by setbacks. Xavi shouldn’t be shocked by the Frenchman’s choice to join PSG because all he has ever done is let Barca down.

In fact, the final moments of Barca’s 2019 Champions League encounter against Liverpool will be remembered for Dembele’s efforts to help a weary Lionel Messi get up after the Argentine had put the ball on the plate for him. Even the ‘psychological monsters’ employed by Jurgen Klopp will not be able to muster a comeback at Anfield if Dembele scores. Although Dembele cannot be held entirely accountable for the startling collapse that transpired in the second leg, this lost chance encapsulates his time at Barcelona rather nicely.

Dembele only has himself to blame for not living up to the expectations placed on him when he arrived at Barcelona and became a celebrity. He acknowledged in September that he “wasted five years” of his life having an unsuitable work attitude, indicating that he was at least conscious of his shortcomings. However, he also squandered his final opportunity to atone for his lack of self-control. Supporters of Barcelona who have watched a player for years depart for their most formidable rivals are unable to cope.

However, Dembele’s exit was actually a sеcrеt godsend. It’s obvious that Barca has every right to pursue a high-balling PSG, but there’s really no reason to bаttle for Dembele. Rather, they ought to concede that the club’s most costly acquisition has ended up being the worst ever.

This is not a character to be trusted, this is a player. It’s entirely irrelevant right now whether or not he will reach his full potential in Paris. Dembele might now become an issue for PSG. It won’t take long for Barca supporters to recognize that they are better off without him.