Ousmane Dembélé was applauded by the public in Barça's last game at the Camp Nou, but not so long ago a section of the stands gave him whistles for his problems with the renewal, supposedly because of his financial demands. The Frenchman, however, has assured in an interview in Mundo Deportivo that he "never" feared for his continuity.
"I always told Xavi that I wanted to continue here, if he took a long time it was due to negotiations, but I always said that I wanted to continue at Barça and in the end we are all happy", explains the winger, who signed his new Barça contract until 2024 in mid-July, when his previous contract had already expired and he was free to sign for another club.
"I dedicated myself to being focused on the field and playing. I was always convinced that I was going to renew, I had a very good relationship with Xavi and also with the president and with Mateu Alemany", adds the Frenchman, whose continuity was always a priority for the Egarense coach, as he repeated publicly on several occasions.
During the negotiations there was speculation about the interest of PSG and Chelsea, among others, to take over his services, but Dembélé denies that there was the possibility of leaving the Blaugrana entity, where he arrived in the summer of 2017. "There was nothing like that (no pre-agreement with another club), I only spoke with Barça. And I told my representative that only Barça", he assures his agent, Moussa Sissoko, about the request.
Having overcome the numerous muscle injuries he suffered during his first years at the club, the Frenchman is now experiencing his best moment in the team, especially due to the arrival last season of the coach, Xavi Hernández, and the new players this summer, including Polish striker Robert Lewandowski.
"The first time we met, he told me 'you are going to give me many assists'. I hope there will be many", he reveals about the first time he saw the former Bayern Munich player, whom he sees as "a leader": "It is very Well, we also see him every day in training. And he's a very good guy, he always laughs, talks a lot with everyone. He's 34 years old, he has a lot of experience and there are a lot of young players here".
As well as Lewandowski, he has also got on well with newcomer Raphinha, his other teammate up front. "I knew him because he played for Rennes, which is my team in France. He watched the games and he was already doing very well," he says of the Brazilian winger, who like the Pole is also going to "contribute a lot" to the team.
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