Somebody apparently forgot to advise Ousmane Dembele that he ought to do some cardio during his self-imposed sabbatical from Borussia Dortmund.
Dembele successfully forced a record transfer to Barcelona by sitting out BVB training, making Dortmund’s decision to sell him even easier.
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But Barca coach Ernesto Valverde is in a predicament, according to Don Balon, which says the out-of-shape Dembele may not even be ready for a spot in Barca’s 18 despite his status as a record signing and the hopeful long-term replacement for Neymar.
Of course we don’t know whether Dembele was doing any training during his time away from BVB; He might’ve been running and winning four 5Ks a day.
Don Balon poses the millions and millions of dollars question in its post: Does Valverde risk making his board look awkward by sitting Dembele, or does he put the player in his 18 -- or Starting XI -- and send a message of which his players may not accept its political nature?
This is going to send Ousmane down a spot in our Dembele power rankings:
3. Ousmane Dembele, Barcelona
2. Moussa Dembele, Celtic
1. Mousa Dembele, Tottenham Hotspur