Paris Saint-Germain will be counting on Ousmane Dembélé to deliver a world-class performance this week as the squad attempts to overturn their 1-0 deficit against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League semifinal second-leg match.
Nonetheless, the Parisians have struck gold with Dembélé and his performance this season. The 26-year-old arrived from FC Barcelona last summer at a bargain price. As a result, Le10Sport writes that the capital club have received more bang for the buck.
Dembélé has played 36 times this campaign across all competitions, scoring five goals and recording 14 assists. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has contributed 19 goals for the Ligue 1 side.
PSG’s €50 million purchase of this production led the French media outlet to criticize clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United, which have spent a lot of money on wingers but haven’t produced these numbers this season.
“The transfer market has been in turmoil for several years now, with PSG arguably being at the forefront since Neymar’s transfer in 2017,” Le10Sport wrote. “Since then, to recruit attackers, top clubs have been shelling out sums nearing €100 million. On the wings, Manchester United notably spent €95 million on Antony, while Chelsea parted ways with around €70 million, excluding bonuses, for Mudryk.
“On their end, PSG made a smart move by triggering Ousmane Dembélé’s release clause for €50 million. An experienced World Cup champion, yet still very young with much more to offer to football. At that price, it was too good to pass up. PSG made the right call as Dembélé is having one of the best seasons of his career, although his statistical record still has room for improvement. The locker room is already won over.”
Dembélé played well against his former club, Barcelona, in the quarterfinals, but the capital club will need him to make a difference in a few days against another of his ex-clubs.
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