Arsenal and Ousmane Dembele: How much is too much coincidence?

Arsenal aren’t really going to land Ousmane Dembele, are they? So why is all of this coincidence happening? How much is too much?

Arsenal still don’s have a legitimate winger outside of Reiss Nelson, and even he may or may not be a central attacking midfielder. But the links have all been there, links to every top tier, young winger in the modern game.

So many links that we can’t help but assume that this club is serious about landing the right winger, but the problem more than likely comes down to cost, and nothing else. Most of these guys are going to cost far more than what is possible for the Gunners.

Yet, in the face of all these links, one reigns supreme as the most realistic, and the one with far too many coincidences to allow us to brush it off – that is the link of Ousmane Dembele.

It all started with Instagram likes. Dembele always seemed keen on getting involved with the Gunners social media accounts and, as you know, many a transfer has been announced via Instagram.

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But it went deeper than that. Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a fantastic rapport in their one year together at Borussia Dortmund, and with Sven Mislintat in tow and the promise of great things ahead, it only made sense that they would want to reunite. I mean, wouldn’t you?

Still, the deal wasn’t progressing any closer to being compete, despite reports that Barcelona and Dembele had combined for the last time, that he wanted the move and that he just wasn’t happy in the Catalans.

Now,  the damn guy is getting photographed with a handful of Arsenal stars young and old. His two Dortmund buddies were there, his international teammate Alexandre Lacazette was there, and fellow youngster Matteo Guendouzi was there too.

It was a veritable team bonding day, only one guy wasn’t a part of the team. And that’s why I want to ask this all-important question – how much coincidence is too much? How many ways can Dembele be strongly linked to the Gunners before it actually happens for real?

Because as it stands, the coincidence is pretty strong with this one. Being photographed with them was one step further than any other transfer target ever.

Yet we wait. Nothing is official, and until it is, that picture was nothing more than a random, tantalizing bonding experience between a bunch of teammates and some other guy.