Why Ousmane Dembélé Could Actually Come to Arsenal
Ousmane Dembélé could realistically come to Arsenal. I never thought I would say all of that in one sentence. The 21 year old winger moved from Borussia Dortmund to FC Barcelona for an astounding "105 million euros plus add-ons" with his buyout clause at 400 million euros. The bad news is that 400 million euros is just slightly more than the alleged 50 million euros that were allegedly allowed for Arsenal during the summer transfer window. The good news is that Arsenal would not directly buy Dembélé. They would sign him on a loan deal, which is more affordable and reasonable.
The question is: Why would Ousmane Dembélé, considered to be one of the best young players in the world, come to Arsenal?
The first reason is FC Barcelona. After Dembélé's huge move to the Spanish giants, much was expected from him. Barcelona did not buy him for peanuts after all. Immaturity and an injury made his first season a disappointing one. FC Barcelona was not pleased enough with his performances and are seeking to offload him. Modern football is all based on results, here and now. Sadly, Dembélé did not deliver. He is seeking a new environment to once again prove why FC Barcelona signed him in the first place. This new environment could be Arsenal Football Club.
The second reason Dembélé might come to Arsenal is the Dortmund connection. Dembélé knows players like Aubameyang and Sokratis from his time there. Additionally, the man attempting to recruit him, Sven Mislintat, was the former scout at Dortmund. Having played with former teammates and friends might entice him to come to the red half of London as compared to Liverpool, another team keen on his signature. Because of the presence of former Dortmund players, if Dembélé were to come to Arsenal, he would fit in from day one and feel comfortable, allowing Emery to get the best out of him. After all, the Gunner motto is "Victory through Harmony."
The third reason is the rebuild project in progress. After Arsène Wenger retired after 22 years as manager, Emery was brought in as a replacement. This, coupled with the "brain trust" of Ivan Gazidis, Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi all working together to rebuild the squad into future title winners, signals a new era of Arsenal Football Club. This new Arsenal is one that gets its transfers done early. This new Arsenal is a club that identifies problem areas and solves them, such as signing a no-nonsense center back like Sokratis and a center defensive midfielder, like Lucas Torreira.
This new Arsenal does not ignore the defensive side of the game. It is more practical. All in all, there is an overwhelming sense of optimism and excitement surrounding the club and the new season, one that has not been felt in a long time. Arsenal is an exciting team to be at right now and that just might entice Dembélé.
The fourth reason, albeit more subtle and speculative, may be his social media activity. Dembélé has been active on Instagram, liking and commenting on one of Alex Iwobi's post. He has also changed his Instagram bio to "Dembrook 27." It is rumored that 27 is the number he would wear at Arsenal.
When rumors about Dembélé coming to Arsenal started to surface, I tried not to get too excited. It seemed too unrealistic. The old Arsenal probably couldn't sign him. However, the new Arsenal can. I mean, if this new Arsenal can sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, why not Dembélé?