Former sporting director opens up on Ousmane Dembele’s struggles at Barcelona – ‘We weren’t good with him’ | OneFootball

As Ousmane Dembele enjoys a career-best season with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 33 goals in one campaign and being tipped as a serious Ballon d’Or contender, many in Barcelona are left wondering why this version of Dembele never emerged at Camp Nou.

Robert Fernandez, the man who brought Dembele to Barcelona in 2017, has now opened up about the Frenchman’s underwhelming spell in Catalonia.

Speaking to AS, the former sporting director did not shy away from taking personal and collective responsibility, stating that the club failed to manage Dembele’s transition effectively and missed crucial opportunities to help him adapt.

Barcelona were not good with Dembele

Fernandez revealed that Dembele’s early days at Barça were derailed almost immediately by a serious hamstring injury just after his debut.

At only 20 years old, he was thrust into the limelight following a €105 million move from Borussia Dortmund, and the weight of expectations, combined with physical setbacks, became overwhelming.

“Ousmane came to Barcelona too young… There were many things he didn’t understand,” said Fernandez. “We also made mistakes by not knowing how to rectify that situation.”

Ousmane Dembele struggled to make an impact at Barcelona. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

While Dembele’s raw talent was evident, Fernandez said the environment at Barcelona was far from nurturing.

“Ousmane was a good player who needed to be given time because he had two injuries. Many things were said at Barcelona that weren’t true, like that he went out a lot at night.

“Then he was often accused of being late to training, but many players arrive late, but they are protected. Dembele was very vulnerable at Barcelona; they always waited for him to be seen,” he noted.

Coaching, culture, and missed support

Fernandez also acknowledged that Dembele never found the right coach at Barcelona.

While he praised Luis Enrique’s current work with the Frenchman at PSG, he also noted that Dembele’s “behaviour was sometimes not the most appropriate.”

At PSG, Dembele appears to have finally found the environment, trust, and tactical setup to thrive.

In just 91 appearances, he has scored 39 goals, nearly matching his 40 goals in 185 appearances for Barça. The numbers tell the story of a player reborn.

Robert Fernandez ended on a bittersweet note: “I would have liked him to play for Barcelona like he’s doing at PSG… but we weren’t very good with him either.”