“It hurts me,” Xavi Hernandez issues first statement after Ousmane Dembele ditches Barcelona for PSG

In a move similar to Neymar's, fans are eager to see what Dembele brings to the PSG squad.

“It hurts me,” Xavi Hernandez issues first statement after Ousmane Dembele ditches Barcelona for PSG

Xavi and Dembele in training (Source: EFE)

Ousmane Dembele has been regarded as one of the football prodigies since his days at Borussia Dortmund. Known for his dribbling and his abilities as a winger, he has come a long way from being compared to Kylian Mbappe to potentially playing alongside him. Barcelona had put a lot of faith into his development, even helping him deal with his injuries. But it seems he wasn’t interested in returning the faith in the long run to the club.

Barcelona’s manager Xavi Hernandez was discontent with Dembele’s current career choices. In a post-match interview after his side’s 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Vegas, the Barca Boss said, “I wish Ousmane Dembélé all the best at PSG. He gave us so much. Of course, I tried to convince him to stay, but he told me he had spoken to Luis Enrique and Al-Khelaifi. There was no way to convince him, it’s final, and it’s his personal decision.”

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Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are still negotiating how they will divide the fee, which is expected to be about €50 million ($54.9 million). The transfer is likely to be finalized soon. Xavi, who coached the winger, feels upset about the move because the player improved and played well under his guidance. He was catastrophic for the club’s triumph in the league last season, scoring some excellent goals as he would run down the wing with flair.

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In 2017, Dembele moved from Dortmund to Barca in a massive €105m worth deal. However, injuries held him back as he played 185 games while scoring just 40 goals. Now, it will be interesting to see how he performs in France and how Barca plans to fill his position.

Related: Here’s how Ousmane Dembele can earn a huge fortune by signing for PSG before August

Can Dembele bring out his full potential at PSG?

Dembele is moving to PSG similar to Neymar
Dembele is moving to PSG, similar to Neymar (Source: @FootballDesire Facebook)

Ousmane Dembele could have been a great player for Barcelona, but he didn’t reach the same level as Neymar during his seven seasons with the club. However, he will still hold a special place in the hearts of Barcelona fans and staff.

In the last season, Dembele outshone in La Liga as a right-winger. His match rating was 7.23- the highest among all right-wingers. Further, he created 34 chances in La Liga- more than any other player from Barcelona or Real Madrid. The Catalans would have been at the same level as Real Sociedad and below Real Madrid, if not for the Frenchman’s contributions.

In conclusion, Dembele will be a fantastic addition to the PSG team. Throughout the course of his career at Barca, there was never any doubt about his skills. The only concern was whether he could fully grasp the manager’s game plan.

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