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Ousmane Dembele in action for Barcelona in their friendly match against A-League All Stars, Accor Stadium, Sydney, May 2022

Comparing Ousmane Dembele’s 21-22 stats with Chelsea’s forwards

Contract negotiations between Barcelona and forward Ousmane Dembele have dragged on for months, and the Frenchman looks set to depart Camp Nou for free with Chelsea reportedly waiting in the shadows to bring him to the Premier League.

Dembele joined Barcelona in the summer of 2017 for an astonishing fee of £105million plus add-ons after just one season at Borussia Dortmund, but injury problems have meant that the best of his ability has rarely been shown in Spain.

The France international was outstanding under current Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel at Dortmund, under whom he scored 10 and assisted 21 times in just 47 games as a 20-year-old.

The 25-year-old has had something of a revival since the appointment of Xavi as manager when his Barcelona career looked to be beyond salvation, and the club would hate to lose such a talent for free.

“I have no doubts with him,” Barca manager Xavi said before Barca’s win over Celta Vigo in May 2022. “Even though he’s not having much luck in front of goal, he generates a lot of danger. He is a difference-maker. I am very satisfied with him.

“The club know my idea in terms of next season. But there’s an agent, a club, a player… it won’t be easy, but I hope he renews.”

Chelsea are now ready to do business in the transfer window after months of uncertainty over their ownership, and Dembele would introduce more attacking firepower to a side that has sometimes struggled for inspiration up front.

Importantly, it seems Dembele may be keen to team back up with Tuchel. The Press Association’s Chelsea correspondent Nick Purewal has reported that the French attacker delayed a decision on his future while the Chelsea sale was completed.

We’ve compared Dembele’s La Liga stats from last season to Chelsea’s forwards’ corresponding Premier League numbers, including those of £100million signing Romelu Lukaku, who disappointed in his first campaign back at Stamford Bridge.

Goals
Kai Havertz – 8
Romelu Lukaku – 8
Christian Pulisic – 6
Timo Werner – 4
Hakim Ziyech – 4
Ousmane Dembele – 1
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 1

Assists
Ousmane Dembele – 13
Hakim Ziyech – 3
Kai Havertz – 3
Christian Pulisic – 2
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 2
Timo Werner – 1
Romelu Lukaku – 0

Minutes per goal
Romelu Lukaku – 198.3
Kai Havertz – 227.0
Christian Pulisic – 214.3
Timo Werner – 321.5
Hakim Ziyech – 329.3
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 966.0
Ousmane Dembele – 1413.0

Minutes per goal or assist
Ousmane Dembele – 100.9
Christian Pulisic – 160.8
Kai Havertz – 165.1
Hakim Ziyech – 188.1
Romelu Lukaku – 198.3
Timo Werner – 257.2
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 322.0

Chances created per 90 minutes
Ousmane Dembele – 2.9
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 2.3
Hakim Ziyech – 2.1
Romelu Lukaku – 1.4
Christian Pulisic – 1
Kai Havertz – 1
Timo Werner – 0.6

Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Ousmane Dembele – 3.8 (66.7%)
Hakim Ziyech – 1.9 (43.2%)
Christian Pulisic – 1.7 (42.5%)
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 1.5 (62.5%)
Kai Havertz – 0.9 (42.9%)
Romelu Lukaku – 0.7 (50.0%)
Timo Werner – 0.7 (30.4%)

Passes per 90 minutes (passing accuracy)
Hakim Ziyech – 43.2 (81.2%)
Ousmane Dembele – 42.4 (84.4%)
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 33.0 (85.3%)
Kai Havertz – 32.4 (81.3%)
Christian Pulisic – 30.6 (80.3%)
Timo Werner – 26 (78%)
Romelu Lukaku – 18 (72.9%)

Shots per 90 minutes (inside the penalty area)
Hakim Ziyech – 3.6 (1.1)
Timo Werner – 3.1 (2.8)
Ousmane Dembele – 2.9 (1.6)
Kai Havertz – 2.8 (2.4)
Romelu Lukaku – 2.4 (2.2)
Christian Pulisic – 2 (1.5)
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 1.7 (1.6)


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