In a recent report, Le10Sport has mentioned that Barcelona are eyeing a move for Olympique Lyonnais forward Moussa Dembele after missing out on his teammate, Memphis Depay last summer. It is believed that the Catalan giants are also hoping to acquire the services of the French striker, but a lot will depend on whether Ronald Koeman can raise funds to pull off such a transfer (via Le10Sport).
Dembele’s Poor Form At The Groupama Stadium This Season
The Pontoise-born attacker has made a toothless start to this campaign as he has struggled to be productive with his performances as the primarily centre-forward of Rudi Garcia’s attack. He has been involved in 11 matches for Lyon but is still waiting to score or assist his first goal of this campaign.
However, his lacklustre form up top has not been for the lack of trying because he is averaging 2.1 shots, 0.5 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Ligue 1 this season. The 24-year-old has also been guilty of losing possession quite easily as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 67.3% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
Based on Dembele’s current form, it is difficult to understand why Barca are targeting him as they cannot afford to make any mistakes in the transfer market especially when they don’t have the finances to make big-money acquisitions in January.
What Will The French Marksman Bring To The Nou Camp?
Dembele is one of the quickest players in Garcia’s squad as he has got the pace to pull off some penetrative dribbles in the attacking third. Standing at 1.83m, he can use his whole frame to outmuscle the opposition and win a few headers for his side.
The Frenchman also deserves a lot of credit for working hard for his side week in week out. Despite his poor end-product this season, there is no denying that he can be a prolific goal-scorer at the highest level when he is playing with confidence on the field.
Things have just not clicked for Dembele so far this season, so Koeman should only consider making a move if he is confident about getting the best out of him in the coming seasons. The former Celtic frontman will add plenty of pace and work-ethic to Barca’s frontline. Plus, he could serve as an ideal back-up to Antoine Griezmann at the Nou Camp.
All in all, Dembele will be an upgrade over Martin Braithwaite as he will be a far better option off the bench for Koeman to rely upon in the long-run. Therefore, Barca should only engineer a move for him if he is available for a fair price. Otherwise, there are far better options for them both in terms of value and quality, so maybe opting for someone other than Dembele could be the way to go for the Catalans this winter.
