Borussia Dortmund complete signing of 18-year-old Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé
Saturday, May 14, 2016
On Thursday, German football club Borussia Dortmund (BVB) confirmed the signing of 18-year-old Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé from French football club Stade Rennais. Dortmund have signed Dembélé on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee until June 30, 2021.
Dembélé joined the French side in 2010, aged thirteen, and made his professional debut in Ligue 1 last November. He made 25 appearences; scored twelve goals and created five assists. His performances earned him a call-up to the France national U-17 team.
BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said "He has always given us the impression that he does not wish for anything else other than to play our intensive football for our special club in our unique stadium." ((de))German language: Ousmane hat immer den Eindruck vermittelt, dass er sich nichts mehr wünscht, als für unseren besonderen Klub unseren intensiven Fußball in unserem einzigartigen Stadion spielen zu wollen.
Dortmund’s Sporting Director Michael Zorc praised Dembélé's skills saying "Ousmane can play nearly every position in attack. He is strong one-on-one, he can play with both feet, he is good at nutmegging and dribbling, and he is fast and dangerous in front of goal." ((de))German language: Ousmane kann in der Offensive fast jede Position spielen. Er ist stark im Eins-gegen-Eins, beidfüßig, trickreich, schnell und torgefährlich.
The Frenchman would feature in the UEFA Champions League next season. He said "I can hardly wait to play in the Bundesliga in front of more than 80,000 spectators in the Signal Iduna Park and to walk onto the pitch in the Champions League with my new team mates." ((de))German language: Ich kann es kaum erwarten, in der Bundesliga vor mehr als 80.000 Zuschauern im Signal Iduna Park zu spielen und mit meinen neuen Teamkollegen in der Champions League aufzulaufen.
This season, Dembélé won the UNFP trophy for Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year.
Sources
- "Borussia Dortmund verpflichtet Toptalent Dembélé" — Borussia Dortmund, May 12, 2016 (German)
- "Ousmane Dembélé Rejoint Dortmund !" — Stade Rennais, May 12, 2016 (French)