3 fringe players who could be key for Barcelona this season

#1 Ousmane Dembele

Dembele in action for Barcelona in La Liga

Following Neymar's shock blockbuster world record move to PSG, Barcelona turned to Borrussia Dortmund for the Brazilian's replacement, signing a relatively unknown 19-year-old Ousmane Dembele in a £135.5m deal, making him the then second most expensive player in footballing history behind Neymar himself.

However, an injury on his full Barcelona debut ruled him out for almost four months, while a fresh setback in January also hampered his progress in his first season at Camp Nou following his mega move.

Ousmane Dembele suffered a serious injury on his full Barcelona debut against Getafe in La Liga

He, however, rallied back from those, and came back stronger, scoring his first goal for Barcelona in the 3-0 second round rout of Chelsea in the Champions League last season. He ended his injury hampered debut campaign for Barcelona with four goals in 24 appearances across all competitions but was still called up for France's World Cup-winning campaign by Didier Deschamps.

The arrival of Coutinho in January pushed Dembele further down the pecking order, and doubts were expressed over his relevance in the coming season for the Blaugrana, with reports suggesting that Barcelona were ready to sell him.

Arsenal and Liverpool were among the clubs interested in signing Dembele, and the £35m capture of Malcom from Bordeaux further legitimized Dembele's exit claims, with the Frenchman reportedly voicing his displeasure at the signing of the Brazilian.

This season has however started in a different fashion for Dembele, as he started and scored the winner in Barcelona's 2-1 victory over Sevilla in the 2018 Spanish Super Cup played in Morocco, while he also played impressively in the La Liga opener against Alaves at the Camp Nou, being replaced by Arthur in the 77th minute to a standing ovation by the Barcelona crowd.

Ousmane Dembele is an undoubted talent, with the potential to become one of the best in the world. However, a serious injury and loss of confidence hampered his progress at Barcelona last year, but this new season offers Dembele a fresh opportunity to show Barcelona fans what he is capable of, and lead the club in its quest to reclaim its pride of place in the Champions League.