Last season Ansu Fati scored a goal every 172 minutes. In this course, the young forward had improved his average and saw the goal every 119 minutes, which was making him the most effective attacker in the team ahead of Messi (142 minutes) or Griezmann (294). Until he was injured on Saturday and Barça lost their man with more aim.
With the Argentine and the French, who can play at the top, in addition to Dembélé, Coutinho, Pedri and Trincão, Barça has enough chips to occupy the four attacking positions. However, if Koeman wants a benchmark ram, he won’t have to improvise as he has an emergency nine on the roster. Signed in February to fill the void of Luis Suárez, Martin Braithwaite, 29, is going to have to earn his future at the Camp Nou by replacing Fati. To date, the Dane, who came from Leganés for 18 million, has only contributed one goal in 16 appearances. Little baggage for its price.
Intermediate solution
Koeman will take more advantage of the Danish but he was left with the desire for a pure nine in the market
The youth squad’s injury is the great eventuality that Koeman told him about during the preseason, when he urged him to stay because the course was long. In fact, the coach has already given him minutes in the last four days. In addition, the calendar for the next two months (until the reopening of the market) seems to accompany him. With the exception of the visit to Atlético in the Metropolitano on the 21st, the other rivals in the League are not from the upper zone. Barça will face Osasuna, Cádiz, Levante, Valencia (at the Camp Nou), Valladolid, Eibar and Huesca.
If Braithwaite does not work, in January Barcelona is committed to going for Memphis Depay. Koeman was left with the desire for a pure nine and the Olympique de Lyon striker does not forget Barcelona.
Memphis let himself be loved again after Sunday’s Lyon-Saint-Étienne when journalists asked him if he could assure that he would finish the season with OL. “You ask me a lot about this question. But I’m not going to make promises that I’m not sure I can keep. I believe that Lyon have to take advantage of my presence here now. And I have to take advantage of being here. And that’s what I try to do every day, ”he said, sincerely. The Dutch international has participated in the ten games that have been played in Ligue 1 and has five goals and three assists, good numbers.
The situation at Barça has changed with respect to the previous market, in which an agreement was reached for his signing but the salary limit did not allow the registration of the Dutch forward. Barcelona, today, does not have a president or a fixed date of the elections to choose the new one. At the head of the manager, Carles Tusquets, has already warned that it will not be possible to sign if there is no prior sale or the reinforcement arrives with the freedom letter. Junior Firpo and Braithwaite himself, if not convincing, are the two most feasible options to make money with his departure.
On the other hand, Fati’s injury is another new factor and is a compelling argument for Koeman to insist to the technical secretariat and the club with a reinforcement of guarantees in the position.
