Ousmane Dembele’s decision to pursue his move to Paris Saint-Germain came as a tough blow for Xavi.
Barcelona’s manager felt let down by a player he had personally supported and with the deal unlikely to bring in significantly more than €25million (£21.6m; $27.5m), it has to be seen as bad business, too.
The Athletic reported last week on the full, messy situation behind Dembele’s impending transfer to PSG. He is now in Paris waiting for the green light to sign for the French club, but his representatives and Barca are still discussing the terms of his exit.
The ‘contract of transfer obligation’ between Barca and Dembele allows him to move to PSG for €50million with, in theory, Barca to receive half of that fee and Dembele the other half. However, Barca believe he may not be eligible to claim the entirety of his €25m share.
All of this is taking place in the context of Barcelona’s continuing financial struggles and their race against time to register their summer signings, plus the senior players with whom they have agreed new contracts, in time for La Liga’s opening matchday this weekend. They currently have only 13 members of their first-team squad eligible to play, one of which is Dembele.
This is because Barca are in breach of La Liga’s rules on salary limits and while that continues to be the case, the competition body will not allow them to register more players.
Senior club sources do not seem concerned by this situation. Speaking to The Athletic anonymously, because like all those cited in this story they did not have permission to comment, they said a solution will be found in time. They suggested that a deal to re-sell shares in its Barca Studios arm (that were originally sold last year as one of the financial ‘levers’) was close to being sealed and that this would bring the club in line with La Liga’s rules.
One thing is for sure — if Barca’s sporting directors want to sign a replacement for Dembele, they will find it difficult to find a player of similar quality available at a price they can afford.
Yes, his departure will hurt Barca, but at the same time, it might very well turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to Lamine Yamal.
Last season, Yamal’s talent emerged for all to see as he became Barca’s youngest-ever La Liga debutant at the age of 15 years, 9 months and 16 days. His pathway to the first team was in part accelerated by the club’s desire to convince him to sign a new contract — which has since been agreed but has not been formalised or announced.
Now, though, there can be no doubt about it. Yamal is where he is on merit alone. On Tuesday evening, at the Joan Gamper Trophy curtain-raiser against Tottenham, he showed again that he is ready to play and make a difference at the Spanish top level.
Yamal only turned 16 in July but his talent and confidence is frightening. In a 10-minute cameo from the bench, he was heavily involved in the three goals that saw Barca come from 1-2 down to win 4-2.
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The plan Barcelona had with Yamal was to involve him with the club’s second team, Barcelona Atletic, this season. Assuring him game time and a significant role in a team was seen as the priority. Had Dembele been available, it’s unlikely he would have played against Spurs.
Dembele was fundamental in Xavi’s eyes for his ability to change games. You passed him the ball knowing he would try to dribble past opponents — and that he would have a solid chance of success. The end product tended to be disappointing at times and Barcelona fans often felt exasperated by a player who struggled to deliver all that he was capable of, but he could still make things happen.
There was fear among rivals around what Dembele could do and he was the sort of player who usually needed to be marked by two rivals in order to contain him. That’s a straight superiority created in some other part of the pitch, a precious gift for Barcelona’s way of playing football.
Dembele pictured during Barca’s friendly with AC Milan (Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Raphinha had, in numbers at least, a better season than Dembele last year. His 10 goals and 12 assists represents a solid return for a debut season. However, the Brazilian is seen more as a player who can help out Barcelona’s system with his overall play; his movement off the ball, relentless high pressure and his powerful left foot.
He can make a difference, but it won’t be by bursting past players at pace or dribbling past three defenders in a row. In Xavi’s four-midfielder system, where order and control of the ball prevail, the one-on-one force that Dembele provided is needed. Right now, no other winger in the squad seems to be better at doing exactly this than Yamal.
And if anything, his decision-making is better than Dembele’s. He has not even played 100 11-a-side football matches in his career so far according to former La Masia specialist reporter Jaume Marcet, but you just simply cannot tell.
“I don’t look at their ID cards or check their ages in order to give minutes to the players. I’m not afraid of trusting youth,” Xavi said recently when asked about the future of the team’s youngsters.
Yamal has presented Xavi with a dilemma — but it is one he will be more than happy to have. It is also one he can reflect on by looking back into Barcelona’s recent past when he himself was a member of the playing squad.
Yamal made his La Liga debut at the age of 15 last season (Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
In the summer of 2005, two years before Yamal was even born, the Joan Gamper Trophy saw the birth of another young star. His name was Lionel Messi.
Then aged 18 and not yet an established member of the first team, Messi put in a display for the ages against Fabio Capello’s Juventus. After the game, the Italian manager asked his Barcelona counterpart Frank Rijkaard whether they could loan him for the season if they weren’t ready to use him. Rijkaard just laughed and told Capello not to worry — and that Messi would soon be involved.
At first, though, the Dutch manager had some concerns over how to handle the youngster. Ahead of the Argentinian there was France international Ludovic Giuly — an experienced winger whose great team mentality helped balance a frontline with Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o.
Rijkaard was fully aware that Messi was miles ahead of Giuly in terms of talent. There was no comparison. At the same time, he was aware of the perils of rushing him into the senior game and a squad full of stars.
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With the 2005-06 campaign underway, the Barca manager insisted on starting Giuly as much as he could, while Messi was given minutes off the bench in practically every game.
It made sense to help Messi get up to speed with the first team, to let his body adapt to elite standards and avoid any unnecessary physical load.
Rijkaard also thought this was the right thing to do for squad harmony — but Messi was determined to change his mind. Sources who were close to that dressing room (who preferred not to comment publicly as they did not have permission to do so) remember how Messi’s talent was impossible to contain.
It reached a point when, to some of his team-mates, it seemed baffling to see Messi on the bench. Things finally turned in November 2005.
In that season’s first Clasico meeting with Real Madrid, Rijkaard started Messi ahead of Giuly at the Santiago Bernabeu and Barca came away with a 3-0 win, with Ronaldinho applauded by local fans after a masterful performance.
Before that game, Giuly started in 10 of Barca’s 11 league fixtures. In the 26 matches that followed, he was on the bench in 17 as Messi’s influence grew and grew.
“After the Clasico, I can remember how Rijkaard said that was it: there was no way Messi could go back to the bench,” a source from the backroom staff in that 2005 dressing room told The Athletic.
Raphinha looks ready to be the team’s starting right-winger this season, but it would be just unwise not to make room for Yamal now that Dembele is set to leave and with Xavi unable to land any of his dreamed-of replacements.
Yamal saw his pre-season opportunities limited before Tuesday’s decisive display; he only played 50 minutes in the club’s tour of the United States, with Dembele, Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Adbe Ezzalzouli ahead of him.
But now, after what he has seen, the Messi-Giuly case surely won’t be too far from Xavi’s mind.
(Top photo: Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
