Samuel Umtiti will stay at Barcelona
The Samuel Umtiti saga at Barcelona has taken another sharp turn. After months of trying to offload the Frenchman, the Barcelona hierarchy is coming to terms with the harsh truth that the player will stay at Camp Nou this season.
This summer, Umtiti was considered expendable at Barcelona as the Catalans began a herculean task of reducing the mammoth wage bill that now reached a point where the club couldn’t financially function if strict steps weren’t taken.
More from Everything Barca
- FC Barcelona tracking Belgian Wonderkid
- FC Barcelona vs Betis Player Ratings
- Barça boss Xavi to get contract extension
- FC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielder
- Barcelona interested in €30 million wonderkid
Barcelona’s wage to turnover stood at 110% with Lionel Messi. Even without Messi, the ratio was at 95% which meant that the club was at a race against time to register any new signings. The departure of high-wage earners like Umtiti would’ve enabled the club some room and possibly even a fairer shot at registering Messi.
Post Messi’s exit, Umtiti has been seen as an enemy by the fans as the Frenchman wanted to stay at the club despite interest from several teams across Europe. The 2018 World Cup winner has insisted that he wants to stay at the club and fight for his place.
Samuel Umtiti will stay at Barcelona
Post-2018, Umtiti has never peaked his fitness and has been in a merry-go-round with injuries. Barcelona cannot rely on Umtiti because of his poor fitness track record. His case is further worsened by his 250,000 euros per week wages as in the 27-year-old, the Blaugrana have a high wage-earning player with little on-pitch contribution due to injuries. Parting ways with the Frenchman would have been the best outcome for the Catalans.
AS Monaco, Besiktas, OGC Nice and AS Roma had been linked with Umtiti over the summer as the aforementioned clubs wanted to take the defender on a season-long loan. However, the centre-back was adamant about staying with Barcelona and would only consider a move to a top Champions League playing club.
Following his resistance to leave, Umtiti was set to meet with the club management to discuss his future. Reports have now emerged that following direct contact and discussions, Umtiti will stay at the club this season. President Joan Laporta spoke with the player and the club believes that the player has worked hard to regain the required fitness levels.
Meanwhile, manager Ronald Koeman doesn’t seem to count on Umtiti and has slipped down the pecking order. All other defenders- Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza seem to be above Umtiti in Koeman’s list.
Furthermore, now that Umtiti is set to stay, the club will now schedule a meeting with the 27-year-old to lower and defer the salary as the club aims to reduce the wage bill and replenish the treasury.
dark. Next. The cryptic case of Samuel Umtiti
With Samuel Umtiti staying, at best, the Frenchman can expect few sporadic appearances throughout the season. Regular football will be extremely hard to come by.