Martin Braithwaite, the surprising Barça medical joker

Since being authorized to recruit a medical joker, to compensate for the absences of Ousmane Dembélé (until the end of the season), and Luis Suarez (until May), FC Barcelona have been actively looking for a striker . While the rumors were about Angel Rodriguez (Getafe), or Willian José (Real Sociedad), it will be Martin Braithwaite. The Catalan club has formalized the arrival of the Danish center-center of Leganés for 18 million euros.

All the details on the transfer from @MartinBraith to Barça https://t.co/5hu5os2kfJ

"The player will sign a contract with the club for what remains of the season and four more years, until June 30, 2024, with a release clause of 300 million euros," said club blaugrana. Martin Braithwaite will be presented this Thursday evening from 5 p.m. at the Camp Nou stadium. In attack, Barcelona coach Quique Setién could only count on Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi and the young nugget Ansu Fati. The 61-year-old Spaniard now has an additional solution. The Danish international striker (7 goals in 39 caps) will be available for the reception of Eibar (18th in La Liga) at the Camp Nou on Saturday, before the Champions League first knockout round on Tuesday in Naples.

Why him ?

Now, we can wonder if Barça made the right choice, paying the significant sum of 18 million euros for Braithwaite (the player is estimated at 10 million euros by the specialized site Transfermarkt . But taking into account the emergency situation, the FCB had to be persuasive economically ... This surprise arrival may recall that of Kevin-Prince Boateng (on loan), during the winter transfer window 2019. The half-brother of Munich's Jérôme Boateng had made only 4 small appearances as a lining for Suarez, and was never decisive.

242 - Martin Braithwaite is involved in a goal every 242 minutes with Leganés in La Liga 2019/20 (6 goals & 2 assists in 1934 minutes), 28th ratio among the 41 attackers having played at least 1000 minutes in the Spanish elite this season. Reinforcement? pic.twitter.com/PI6DQe4Iks

But like Boateng, Braithwaite seems to have been recruited only on one criterion: versatility. Because unlike the other names that have circulated, the Dane can evolve into pure number 9 as on the sides. Now, isn't the blue and garnet tunic too big for him? And above all, is he the ideal player for the game advocated by Setién? At Leganés, the player passing through Toulouse or Bordeaux was evolving in a radically different style. The 28-year-old forward relied heavily on his placement and speed to score, and the current 19th Liga did not play possession like the Catalan players. Moreover, 5 of the 6 goals scored by the Dane this season were on his first touch. It will however be necessary to wait to see its benefits to judge this choice which can seem surprising…

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