Barcelona defender Dani Alves has sent the club a strong message regarding Ousmane Dembele and says the club have to use the Frenchman for the rest of the season.
Dembele has been left out of Barcelona’s last two squads after failing to agree a new contract at the Camp Nou and was told to leave. However, he did not secure a move in the January transfer window and will now see out the season at Barca.
There’s been speculation that Barcelona could keep Dembele in the stands for the rest of the campaign, but Alves thinks it would not be a smart move and knows what he thinks the club should do instead, as reported by Diario Sport.
“We have to be smarter than the situation and take advantage of the fact that we have the player with us,” he said. “This kind of thing happens in football, but as long as he stays at Barça, he has to defend the shirt. If he goes at the end of the season, then look. But there are still five months left. You have to take advantage of him being here. One has to be smarter than the situation. We have to think intelligently and take advantage of the fact that we have the player. We need harmony in the entire locker room. You have to create a healthy environment of positivity, in which there are no bad vibes. If everyone contributes, Barça will come back. That is everyone’s goal.”
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said the decision over whether Dembele will play again for the Catalans giants or not it up to the coach.
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Dembele To Return Against Atletico Madrid?
Xavi has already said publicly he does not favor the idea of keeping Dembele in the stands and could now recall the Frenchman for Barcelona’s next La Liga game on Sunday, February 6 against Atletico Madrid.
The Barcelona boss has discussed the situation with Laporta and has come to an agreement that the forward can play against the defending champions, as reported by Javi Miguel at Diario AS.
Xavi believes it would be “counter-productive” not to use Dembele for the rest of the season, although he is aware the forward is likely to get a negative reaction from the home fans at the Camp Nou.
Chelsea Boss Denies Dembele Rumors
Dembele may play for Barcelona again but he does look certain to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. The forward has been linked with a move to Premier League side Chelsea in a transfer that would see him reunited with former boss Thomas Tuchel.
The two worked together previously at Borussia Dortmund, and Tuchel has been asked about the speculation at a pre-match press conference ahead of his team’s FA Cup clash with Plymouth Argyle.
However, the Chelsea boss made it clear he had not been in touch with Dembele during the January window, as reported by Football.London.
“I am satisfied because it was a calm window and to be calm was the best thing. We were open for things,” he said. “I did not have contact with Ousmane [Dembele]. There was no contact in winter between us.”
Xavi now has a big decision to make regarding whether to select Dembele against Atletico in what is an important game for both sides in La Liga. The coach does not lack for attacking options either after seeing Barca bring in Adama Traore, Ferran Torres, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.
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