According to a recent report by The Evening Standard, Liverpool have not tabled a loan offer for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele. Gianluca Di Marzio had recently stated that the Reds made a loan move for the French speedster’s services this summer. However, the Evening Standard has denied those claims after they revealed that the Merseyside giants are not considering a swoop for the talented wide player at the moment.
Dembele’s Injury-Plagued Season In Spanish Football
The 23-year-old has endured a frustrating campaign in Spain after falling victim to a serious hamstring injury. He has only made nine appearances for the Catalan outfit this term, netting one goal in the process across all competitions. However, Dembele has also had his fair share of disciplinary issues as he has picked up two yellow cards and one red card during his time on the field.
Fortunately, the Frenchman has also shown a few glimpses of his brilliance this season after averaging 1.0 shots, 1.4 key passes and 2.2 dribbles per game in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League so far (stats via whoscored). When he is fit and firing on all cylinders, he can be a lethal presence in the final third as evidenced by his numbers in both league and European football.
Dembele has also earned 21 senior caps for the French national side, finding the back of the net twice for his country. If he can stay healthy and show some consistency with his performances next season, then he might have a shot at being named in Didier Deschamps’ squad for next year’s UEFA European Championship finals following the competition’s postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Are The French Wing Wizard’s Biggest Strengths?
Dembele can use his blistering pace and agility to cause a lot of problems for the opposition defenders. He excels at making runs to get into some promising areas in the attacking third as he is a terrific dribbler with the ball at his feet. The France international can also interchange passes with his teammates without breaking a sweat and usually packs a lot of power with his strikes at goal. Plus, he can also put in some inviting crosses into the opposition penalty box which makes him a constant menace going forward.
Should Klopp Consider Getting Dembele On Board This Summer?
However, frequent injuries have hampered his progress which is why a change of scenery this summer would have provided him with an ideal opportunity to make a fresh start away from Catalonia. It is no secret that Jurgen Klopp can benefit from signing a promising, versatile attacker like Dembele in this off-season as both Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri have struggled to make a positive impact at Anfield this season.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino need more competition so that they are always on their toes and are pushing to get better in the coming years. Dembele would have been a perfect fit as he has all the skill set required to fill such a role at Merseyside. Hence, Klopp should think about orchestrating a move for him, either on loan or permanently before the start of the new campaign.
