Barcelona News: Ernesto Valverde clears the air on Ousmane Dembele’s future

Ousmane Dembele’s future at FC Barcelona has been subject to intense speculation this summer, and Ernesto Valverde has finally spoken out on this issue.

The former Athletic Bilbao manager reportedly said, “Let’s hope it’s his season. He is an extraordinary player. The past year has been complicated because of the injuries, but even so he has brought us a lot.”

“The important thing is that there is competition within the team. There are a lot of matches and we cannot handle them with only eleven players.’’

Dembele was involved in a controversial transfer saga between Barcelona and Bourssia Dortmund last summer, as the player forced himself out of the German club. Barcelona spent 135.5 million pounds last season on him, and it is safe to say that Dembele hasn’t reciprocated with the same level of performances.

The Frenchman was troubled with a couple of successive injuries, and that kept him out for probably the whole of the first half of the season. Upon his return, he was inconsistent and struggled to bring his best game forward.

Even Valverde came in for criticism as many stated that the youngster was not used properly as the manager kept Dembele out from the playing XI time and again. His first season at Barcelona was quite tumultuous, and his indifferent form continued into the World Cup.

The 21-year-old was included in France’s opening game in the World Cup against Australia. However, his poor form and the general struggle against the physical nature of Australian defenders meant that he did not play much of a part in the further stages of the World Cup.

Despite a significant drop in form over the past year, Dembele is more than capable of performing to the expected levels. According to the Express, Arsenal are interested in securing a loan move for the lad, but Barcelona should definitely keep hold of him. Valverde’s comments indicate the same too.