Arsenal: Ousmane Dembele a question worth asking

Arsenal have, per reports in Spain, had an offer for Borussia Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele rejected. While I struggle to believe the accuracy of the reports, the French starlet is a question that Arsene Wenger should be asking.

The old motto goes: ‘If you don’t ask, you never get.’ While that is not necessarily true, as we all know, there is no harm in asking. That is exactly what Arsenal and Arsene Wenger must do this summer to secure the attacking improvements that they are striving for.

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After the addition of Alexandre Lacazette to fulfil the role of the prolific, clinical centre-forward that the squad has been so painfully missing, it was clear that Wenger still wanted to further the bolstering of his attacking options.

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He was incessantly linked with moves for Riyad Mahrez and Thomas Lemar, with at least three different offers rejected for the latter with Monaco wanting to stem the tide of key departures after an exodus of talent already this summer, is concerned with the future of Alexis Sanchez and sees a need for a pacy, direct, dangerous wide man.

That search has been entirely unfruitful. And now, with options dwindling and time running out, other names are beginning to rise to the surface. One of those names, rather surprisingly, is Borussia Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembele. With the quest to sign Lemar largely unsuccessful, per reports in Spain, Wenger sees Dembele as the perfect alternative and is willing to fight with Barcelona, who are looking for a Neymar replacement, and Real Madrid for his signature.

Now, while I significant doubts regarding the validity of the reports — Would Dembele really want to move to Arsenal? Does Wenger really want to invest the substantial amounts that it would require to force through the signing? –, there is no harm in Wenger asking the question of the German club.

Dembele is one of the brightest talents in all of European football. At 19, in just 22 Ligue 1 starts for Rennes, he scored 12 goals and assisted another four. It was at this point that Dortmund swooped in, where, in his first season, in 46 games in all competitions, he scored 11 goals and assisted 18.

More than sheer production, though, Dembele showcased a wonderful blend of pace and precision. He is an extremely sharp and fluid dribbler. He is very quick and is willing to be direct whenever he gets the opportunity.

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Whether Wenger is indeed interested or not, I have my doubts. However, Dembele, such is his quality and his potential, is a question that should be being asked.