Ousmane Dembele’s strengths and weakness analysed amid Chelsea and Liverpool transfer links

Chelsea continue to be heavily linked with a move for Barcelona wide man Ousmane Dembele this summer.

The French international is widely expected to leave the Catalan giants in the coming weeks, with his current contract set to expire at the end of June.

And according to an update from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the Blues are on the verge of agreeing a deal that would bring him to West London on a free transfer.

Complications could arise, however, in the form of rival interest from Liverpool.

As per Sport, the Reds have also made contact over a potential agreement, with uncertainty over the future of Senegalese talisman Sadio Mane fuelling their search for a possible replacement.

But what would either side be getting if they could lure Dembele to England?

We’ve taken a closer look at the player’s strengths and weaknesses below...

Strengths

On his day, there are few talents in Europe who can match Dembele’s ball-carrying ability.

Over the course of 2021/22, the wide man registered an average of 2.8 successful dribbles per game in La Liga, as per Whoscored. Excluding those who played less than 600 minutes in the division, that is the highest figure of any player in the Spanish top flight.

Similarly, if the Frenchman were to replicate that kind of output in England, only Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin and Wolves’ Adama Traore (who spent the second half of the season on loan in Barcelona with Dembele) would rank higher than him.

As a point of direct comparison, Liverpool’s Mo Salah averaged 1.5 successful dribbles in the Premier League this term.

Dembele is more than just an impressive runner, though.

On average, the 25-year-old made 2.1 key passes per game this season - again, the best tally in Barcelona’s squad, and one that puts him in the top three across La Liga as a whole.

Unsurprisingly, his eye for an incisive pass has translated into an abundance of assists, with his total of 13 putting him at the top of the charts in Spain.

All in all, Dembele’s creative talents have made him a vital presence for Barcelona at a time when his future seems to lie elsewhere.

Taking a look at his campaign as a whole, Whoscored ranked him as the Catalan giants’ player of the season, with an average match rating of 7.46. Only Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior boasted higher ratings, and that figure would have made him the fifth best performer in the Premier League this term, behind Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, Son Heung-Min, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Weaknesses

If there is one glaring concern in Dembele’s game, it is his persistent injury record.

This season has been a fine example of what the winger can do when given a prolonged run of fitness and game time, but far too often his career up to this point has been hampered by spells on the sidelines.

According to Transfermarkt, since making his £126 million move to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, the 25-year-old has missed a combined total of 102 matches due to 14 different injuries - equivalent to 695 days.

The hope will be that Dembele has been able to move past that troublesome part of his career - and the recent signs have certainly been promising - but any club looking to recruit him will no doubt do so with just a hint of trepidation.

The other criticism that could perhaps be levelled against Dembele is that he doesn’t score enough goals.

In 2021/22, only Ferran Torres had more shots per game for Barcelona, and yet the winger’s goal return was a paltry one in 21. Add one further strike in the Champions League, and his tally was just two in 32 across all competitions.

Given his superlative output in other areas, Dembele’s relative inefficiency in front of goal may not prove to be too much of a deal breaker for the clubs pursuing him, but it’s fair to suggest that if he could find a way of converting chances more regularly, his overall game could reach higher levels still.