Paris St Germain winger Ousmane Dembele has been axed from the squad that will face Arsenal in the second match of the ongoing UEFA Champions League.
In what will serve as a major boost for Arsenal, PSG manager Luis Enrique confirmed that the France international has been axed from his squad.
Dembele has scored four times in six Ligue 1 matches for PSG this season and played in the French club’s Champions League opening win against Girona earlier this month.
But boss Enrique revealed the 27-year-old France international, seen as the club’s biggest asset in the post-Kylian Mbappe era, has not travelled to London.
Speaking at the Emirates Stadium on Monday, PSG manager Enrique said: “If someone doesn’t comply or respect the expectations of the team, it means they are not prepared to play.
Luis Enrique speaks during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 press conference at Emirates Stadium (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
“The match tomorrow is very important and I want all my players to be ready, so as a consequence I have left him out. I want the best for my team and that is my job.
“These circumstances are difficult and you have to take difficult decisions. But I am 100% engaged with my decision, and 100% sure of the decision I have made.
“It doesn’t mean this is irreversible, but I took the best decision for the team and that is why I signed here, to create a team that has a strong identity and has a lot of character.
“I was also hired to win titles. I cannot guarantee that. But I can guarantee the rest, which is playing with a strong identity. The day I cannot do this I will go home.
“I have the support of the club’s president and the sporting director. I am here to create a team and in the future that might include Ousmane Dembele, just to be clear.”
Asked to explain the altercation with Dembele, Enrique replied: “I am very honest and I will be honest, but I am not going to create a soap opera out of this.
“There are no problems between us. That is completely false. This is simply about the responsibilities of the player.”
Dembele has not spoken to the media about his current relationship with Enrique and it’s left to see how things will work out between both parties.
