Last season there were significant periods of time in which Barcelona looked chronically short of both goals and options up front. The same cannot be said about the Blaugrana this season.
One of their departed options was Martin Braithwaite, who has left for rivals Espanyol in a controversial move. Although at points appreciated by Camp Nou, the narrative seemed to shift towards him this summer.
Speaking to RAC1, as carried by Mundo Deportivo, Braithwaite was keen to emphasize that the media narrative might not have been entirely accurate.
“The people don’t know everything, they read the press and it is not true what is said. It’s the past and now I am happy.”
He then went on to make a remarkable statement about Ousmane Dembele. Robert Lewandowski grabbed many of the headlines against Viktoria Plzen this week with his hat-trick, but Braithwaite believes serial assister Dembele has more magic in his boots.
“He makes the difference more than Lewandowski.”
“Ousmane is a very good kid, I like him a lot. He has an enormous talent, I have never seen anything like it. Messi is something else, but I have never seen anyone like Ousmane.”
While Dembele’s talents are certainly unique to him, to Braithwaite’s statements are not backed up by numbers. Lewandowski has a decade-long history as one of the top goalscorers in the world, while Dembele, as talented as he is, is just starting to show his capabilities.
