No more signings from the German league unless they are Bayern Munich players please.

I'd still gamble on Nkunku. 

Think his ability on the ball provides some reassurance he can do well in tight areas. 

5 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

 I personally find it utterly ridiculous if we continue to play 5 defenders against bottom half clubs. 

Have to agree with this, no excuse for not playing more offensive minded players especially since most bottom half clubs park the bus against us and play on the counter. 4atb means we're more open, so more fluid game from both sides. They'll open up a bit more in theory to commit bodies forward to attack us and we can catch them on the counter. 

Latest updates 

No new talks between agent/Dem and Barca as it stands nothing has changed between now and the last 6 months. Barca management believe him and agent always intended to leave and used last 5 months to put him in the shop window (get higher wages and sign on bonus from interested clubs).

Psg want him and supposedly TT has spoken with him as well.

I'm pretty confident Dembele moves on this summer, it looks like a two team race PSG and us. Our ownership issue is holding us back, yet without getting mine or anyone else's hopes up too much Dembele has had plenty of time to announce he wants to go Paris but hasn't yet almost like he is waiting for something. 

If I'm honest I didn't rate him much during his time at Barca could have finished Liverpool off at Camp Nou missed a couple sitters, Liverpool go to Anfield and do the business overturning 3-0 aggregate score which should have been more had Dembele done his job. 

Durijg his tenure  he was injury prone and underwhelmed aside from the occasional worldie he would score. Fast forward to the last 6 months of his contract and he's proving me wrong. Best playmaker in Spain currently not just statistically but also the perfect combination of pace and decision making in the final 3rd almost like he's matured in just one season.

Question to be asked is simple if your Dembele do you A: go to Paris and play with one of the goats Messi and one of your best mates Mbappe. Knowing it will be hard getting into a team that has Mbappe, Messi and Neymar.

He won't start ahead of any of them but if Messi or neymar are moved more central he's he's a good wing option,  but he would be required to do a lot of tracking back and work for the team. Yet you're guaranteed a league title every season, a relatively deep run into the UCL with a win quite probable within 3 seasons.

Or do you B: Join Chelsea and play under the coach that has brought out the best sporting performances of your career. If he's confident in his own ability he looks at our attack and sees there is no position that is really locked down. So it's there for the taking if he wants to be the guy at a club rather than in Mbappe's, Messi's and Neymar's shadow.

The league will be tougher, no guarantee of a title every season but a good challenge nonetheless, not guaranteed to even compete in UCL every season due to the strength of EPL although Chelsea has qualified last 4 seasons.

Verdict: We continue to wait and see but this could be another Barkley deal 2.0 turns down a transfer one window only to sign for us in the next for cheaper. 

Let's save the disappointment and accept he's going to PSG. They will offer him the higher wages and he's best mates with Mbappe. 

40 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Let's save the disappointment and accept he's going to PSG. They will offer him the higher wages and he's best mates with Mbappe. 

PSG would have to shift Neymar first. They just blew a huge amount to keep Mbappe and their front 3 are not being benched for Dembele.

Unless Neymar is sold I don't see Dembele going there.

20 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Let's save the disappointment and accept he's going to PSG. They will offer him the higher wages and he's best mates with Mbappe. 

You call it disappointment, I call it a bullet dodged. I don't want him here, I think he would struggle in the Premier League.

On 23/05/2022 at 13:41, Sconnie Blue said:

Let's save the disappointment and accept he's going to PSG. They will offer him the higher wages and he's best mates with Mbappe. 

Aaaaand he's agreed to join PSG per a reliable Barcelona journalist. 

Was always going to be the case. 

On 24/05/2022 at 16:05, Scott Harris said:

You call it disappointment, I call it a bullet dodged. I don't want him here, I think he would struggle in the Premier League.

Yeah really don't get why people thought he'd be a good signing. He scored 1 goal in La liga last season, not too mention way too injury prone. We have enough mediocre inconsistent attackers as it is

 

A big update since early afternoon says Dembele won't actually be going Paris and it's now a two horse race. Apparently he will choose best sporting project sounds like he has 4 options Barca, Paris, Bayern and us....watch this space.

 

 

17 minutes ago, LongtimerLurker said:

 

A big update since early afternoon says Dembele won't actually be going Paris and it's now a two horse race. Apparently he will choose best sporting project sounds like he has 4 options Barca, Paris, Bayern and us....watch this space.

 

 

Pretty obvious. If you want to play in a one team league go to Bayern. If you want an actual challange in a top league, you come to the PL.

For anyone that wants to know a bit more about him this is a good read.

https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/ousmane-dembele-the-revitalization-of-a-lost-talent-at-barcelona/

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

Pretty obvious. If you want to play in a one team league go to Bayern. If you want an actual challange in a top league, you come to the PL.

I think there's also a bit more to it as well mate, from a sporting perspective it's also the coaches. You have Nagelsmann who is clearly a very talented coach, with forward thinking and dynamic attacking play. Then you have the current reigning world champion coach (and European champion for a few more days). Who you (Dembele) have had your most productive ever season under. I think they both appreciate each other. 

I've said it before I've not always been his biggest fan, but I think he's exactly what we need. Pace and more of it, we need a dribbler and a playmaker and he can do all of this. Personally I think it would be a good idea to go to a back 4 if he came so that he could also get more out of our current attackers but in a 3atb I also think he would flourish either side of the striker as long as we play the usual 3 attacker system rather than a up top. 

Also you look at Bayern or Paris and I don't see him starting whereas Barca or Chelsea he can get into either starting 11 if he's performing at the level he has been for the last 5 months.

 

28 minutes ago, LongtimerLurker said:

For anyone that wants to know a bit more about him this is a good read.

https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/ousmane-dembele-the-revitalization-of-a-lost-talent-at-barcelona/

I think there's also a bit more to it as well mate, from a sporting perspective it's also the coaches. You have Nagelsmann who is clearly a very talented coach, with forward thinking and dynamic attacking play. Then you have the current reigning world champion coach (and European champion for a few more days). Who you (Dembele) have had your most productive ever season under. I think they both appreciate each other. 

I've said it before I've not always been his biggest fan, but I think he's exactly what we need. Pace and more of it, we need a dribbler and a playmaker and he can do all of this. Personally I think it would be a good idea to go to a back 4 if he came so that he could also get more out of our current attackers but in a 3atb I also think he would flourish either side of the striker as long as we play the usual 3 attacker system rather than a up top. 

Also you look at Bayern or Paris and I don't see him starting whereas Barca or Chelsea he can get into either starting 11 if he's performing at the level he has been for the last 5 months.

 

I don't see how he is an improvement on what we have. He is as lightweight as Pulisic and scores fewer goals than Werner. He may have pace and he may be able to dribble, but without strength and stamina, his pace and dribbling means very little in the Premier League. 

His assists record is decent, but he plays against much more open defences than what we see in the Premier League. We also need him to come up with the goals, and he has 1 all season.......1. Assists are great and an important part of a wingers game, but the simple fact is we need goals in our attack and he doesn't have it.

2 hours ago, LongtimerLurker said:

For anyone that wants to know a bit more about him this is a good read.

https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/ousmane-dembele-the-revitalization-of-a-lost-talent-at-barcelona/

I think there's also a bit more to it as well mate, from a sporting perspective it's also the coaches. You have Nagelsmann who is clearly a very talented coach, with forward thinking and dynamic attacking play. Then you have the current reigning world champion coach (and European champion for a few more days). Who you (Dembele) have had your most productive ever season under. I think they both appreciate each other. 

I've said it before I've not always been his biggest fan, but I think he's exactly what we need. Pace and more of it, we need a dribbler and a playmaker and he can do all of this. Personally I think it would be a good idea to go to a back 4 if he came so that he could also get more out of our current attackers but in a 3atb I also think he would flourish either side of the striker as long as we play the usual 3 attacker system rather than a up top. 

Also you look at Bayern or Paris and I don't see him starting whereas Barca or Chelsea he can get into either starting 11 if he's performing at the level he has been for the last 5 months.

 

Bayern are losing Lewandowski this summer, and Gnabry might be moved into the “9” opening up a position on the wing. PSG are also shopping Neymar around, opening up a position on the wing also.

Dembele was demanding a €30m (£25.1m) signing bonus, €15m (£12.5m) to be given to his representatives in fees plus €35m (£29.3m) in wages over the duration of his new contract. I wouldn’t go near him.

If those numbers are true our attention should be directly towards Sterling. 

1 goal this season is bad, but he isnt a goalscorer, never has been. He is about a 1 in 5 in terms of goals, which isnt far off Hazard's ratio if you take away penalties. 

He creates a lot of big chances, he has done that all his career across 3 different leagues. 

Maybe his 1 in 5 goals isnt impressive to add to side that struggles to score goals, but if he continues to create big chances, then the other attackers numbers will rise a lot. 

Injury record scares me, but he is the closest we will get to replacing Hazard's dribbling and creative ability. 

 

33 minutes ago, big blue said:

1 goal this season is bad, but he isnt a goalscorer, never has been. He is about a 1 in 5 in terms of goals, which isnt far off Hazard's ratio if you take away penalties. 

He creates a lot of big chances, he has done that all his career across 3 different leagues. 

Maybe his 1 in 5 goals isnt impressive to add to side that struggles to score goals, but if he continues to create big chances, then the other attackers numbers will rise a lot. 

Injury record scares me, but he is the closest we will get to replacing Hazard's dribbling and creative ability. 

 

Nkunku? 20 assists last season

3 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I don't see how he is an improvement on what we have. He is as lightweight as Pulisic and scores fewer goals than Werner. He may have pace and he may be able to dribble, but without strength and stamina, his pace and dribbling means very little in the Premier League. 

His assists record is decent, but he plays against much more open defences than what we see in the Premier League. We also need him to come up with the goals, and he has 1 all season.......1. Assists are great and an important part of a wingers game, but the simple fact is we need goals in our attack and he doesn't have it.

He's far more talented than Pulisic could dream of being. 

He literally had Pulisic benched at Dortmund before we signed him.

I could understand not being his biggest fan but saying he's not an improvement over what we have when we have a championship standard American that was only signed due his passport is flat out untrue. 

 

Edited May 26, 20224 yr by HazardousChoice

When he is fit and motivated he is an excellent player, far and away Barcelona's star attacker when on form this season. But the injury record is very off-putting and requires a big discount. And who does he replace, Pulis, Havertz, Ziyech, Hudson Odoi or Gallagher coming back from Palace we have lots of choice in that area even though Dembele might be better than each of them but what we dont have is a young fit fast  ball playing central midfielder.

58 minutes ago, Drogba1 said:

Nkunku? 20 assists last season

I like him too, but cant see it happening due to price. I still think Dembele is the more talented out of the 2 though, and the closest to Hazard as that creative fulcrum and dribbling expert. 

Also think Gnabry would be a decent option with only 12 months keft on his contract. 

12 hours ago, LongtimerLurker said:

For anyone that wants to know a bit more about him this is a good read.

https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/ousmane-dembele-the-revitalization-of-a-lost-talent-at-barcelona/

I think there's also a bit more to it as well mate, from a sporting perspective it's also the coaches. You have Nagelsmann who is clearly a very talented coach, with forward thinking and dynamic attacking play. Then you have the current reigning world champion coach (and European champion for a few more days). Who you (Dembele) have had your most productive ever season under. I think they both appreciate each other. 

I've said it before I've not always been his biggest fan, but I think he's exactly what we need. Pace and more of it, we need a dribbler and a playmaker and he can do all of this. Personally I think it would be a good idea to go to a back 4 if he came so that he could also get more out of our current attackers but in a 3atb I also think he would flourish either side of the striker as long as we play the usual 3 attacker system rather than a up top. 

Also you look at Bayern or Paris and I don't see him starting whereas Barca or Chelsea he can get into either starting 11 if he's performing at the level he has been for the last 5 months.

 

I also wouldn't be sad seeing him coming. Def has my vote if it's between him and Neymar. 

9 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

If those numbers are true our attention should be directly towards Sterling. 

I can't help it. But not a fan of Sterling at all. 
I normally laugh with him when he misses those sitters. We already have Werner for that. 
Yes he has crazy pace, but his lack of overview. I don't know... 
Pretty sure that all his numbers in fees etc will be very high as well. 

8 hours ago, Drogba1 said:

Nkunku? 20 assists last season

Now Nkunku is the only name so far linked to CFC that I 100% support. 
Seeing him play in the Bundesliga. He is such a complete athlete. 
Big fan. Despite our bad track record with attackers, I just cannot see him fail. 
(unless some crazy injury happens, but that can happen to anyone)

8 hours ago, ozboy said:

When he is fit and motivated he is an excellent player, far and away Barcelona's star attacker when on form this season. But the injury record is very off-putting and requires a big discount. And who does he replace, Pulis, Havertz, Ziyech, Hudson Odoi or Gallagher coming back from Palace we have lots of choice in that area even though Dembele might be better than each of them but what we dont have is a young fit fast  ball playing central midfielder.

Position wise from the list above, I would only see Pulis, Ziyech and Callum as competitors. Kai and Gal I would put in the team with him.
 And he is def. outplaying the first 3. I wouldn't even be surprised if 2 out of the first 3 won't play here next season anymore. 

14 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I don't see how he is an improvement on what we have. He is as lightweight as Pulisic and scores fewer goals than Werner. He may have pace and he may be able to dribble, but without strength and stamina, his pace and dribbling means very little in the Premier League. 

His assists record is decent, but he plays against much more open defences than what we see in the Premier League. We also need him to come up with the goals, and he has 1 all season.......1. Assists are great and an important part of a wingers game, but the simple fact is we need goals in our attack and he doesn't have it.

Agree - his record, style and temperament are all red flags. Through in his lightweight style, reliance on having space and injury record, then I dont think he is the answer to our prayers.