Ousmane Dembele and his ‘Should I stay or should I go’ mini-drama has been one of the stories in this year’s transfer market. Not a big story, since Mbappe, Lewandowski and Haaland made the headlines, but still an interesting chapter in Barcelona’s always exciting life. Since he decided to stay after all (or most likely, didn’t get what he wanted elsewhere), the French international decided to joke a bit with his teammates. Dembele’s been Barca’s pain since 2017. Now they signed up for two more years of itAs part of Barca’s tradition, every new player has to address the locker room and say a few words. Dembele never left, but was basically a free agent, so when he signed a new contract, he fell into the ‘new player’ category, and was given the floor by coach Xavi. As per Mundo Deportivo, Dembele began his speech by saying that he was very happy to continue at Barca, to continue with the team and with Xavi, and that he was very committed to the group. And as proof of that, he asked for a captaincy! The surprise was huge among his teammates not only because they have so many captains already (Busquets, Pique, Sergi Roberto and Alba), but also because everybody knew he actually tried to leave the club. Luckily for everybody, Dembele was quick to clarify it was a joke, to the general delight of the team, which burst into laughter amid general jokes.##NAJAVA_MECA_6512688##But Barcelona’s legend Hristo Stoichkov was not so amused by this joke. Former Bulgarian international and member of Johan Cruyff’s ‘dream team’ has been criticizing the Frenchman and his perfomances in the Catalonian capital. “We’re talking about a player who has signed for 150 million, who has been injured for 120 games, played 20 games and scored ten goals. It’s clear he hasn’t learned anything in the five years he’s been at Barcelona. I hope he wakes up and becomes smart, that he listens to Xavi’s advice, or if not, that he goes to the museum and looks at the videos of those of us who have played that position so he learns how to play in Barcelona” said the Bulgarian hero to the Spanish media. Barca will be powerful again – Lewa joins his new teammatesBarca’s former number 8 has praised the club’s new addition Robert Lewandowski and all signings in general, stating that his former club will win La Liga this year. “He’s a great signing. He’s a great striker and Barca needed a player like that. He’s already scored four goals against Madrid, let’s see if he scores another four. Barcelona has signed very valid players so far and they are going to make a difference. They all start from scratch and we have to forget the past. Barcelona this year is going to win the League and I say it now” said Stoichkov.
