Ousmane Dembele is about to step into the spotlight. The 20-year-old France striker signed by Barcelona to replace Neymar is expected to make his debut in the Catalan derby against Espanyol this weekend, getting the first chance to prove his worth after being involved in the second biggest transfer in soccer history behind the Brazilian's move to Paris Saint-Germain.
"Will he be able to score on SaturdayIJ" Barcelona posted on his website, noting that Dembele could join a list of players who debuted with goals in their Spanish league debut at the Camp Nou, including Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Romario and Rivaldo.
Barcelona had already mentioned Dembele when listing details about the debut of its "greatest foreign signings", including Ronaldo, Samuel Eto'o, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Neymar.
Dembele tried to avoid comparisons to Neymar the moment he arrived, saying that while the Brazilian was already "one of the best in the world," he is only a "young player trying to learn every day".
He didn't hide he was anxious to be playing alongside lionel Messi, whom he called "the best in history".
Barcelona initially wanted to replace Neymar with Philippe Coutinho, but liverpool repeatedly rejected offers for the Brazil midfielder. The English club said it would only release Coutinho for 200 million euros ($238 million), an amount Barcelona said it was not willing to pay.
Barcelona will be under pressure for Dembele to succeed because it was not able to sign any other top player to help fill the hole left by Neymar. The team reportedly also went after PSG midfielder Angel Di Maria and Juventus forward Paulo Dybala, but could not reach any deals before the end of the transfer window.
The only other additions made by Barcelona in the offseason were forward Gerard Deulofeu, who re-signed from Everton, and Brazil midfielder Paulinho, who was playing in China.
"We expect a lot of Dembele," Barcelona sports director Roberto Fernandez said.