He didn’t even make it to the middle of the season.
Having u-turned on his decision to join AS Roma in the summer after a late approach from Barcelona, Malcom now wants to leave the club due to a lack of playing time.
According to Ferran Martínez of Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Malcom does not understand the situation and asked Valverde what he could improve on to get more minutes on the pitch. Valverde was said to have responded by telling him he was training well, his attitude was professional and that there was nothing in particular that he should change.
And yet, Malcom has only featured in two games this season, both from the bench, one against Real Valladolid and the other in a defeat to Leganes.
He is now sure that he must leave – whether on loan or permanently – in search of more minutes.
The Brazilian winger arrived from Bordeaux to much fanfare, with fans expecting him to contest with Ousmane Dembélé for a spot in the side. Yet despite Dembélé’s fluctuating form at Barça, he has played 13 games more than Malcom this season.
In every sense, Malcom’s move to Barcelona has been a disaster for both him and the club. But you suspect the party most aggrieved by its failure might be AS Roma.
Had Malcom joined the Serie A side, as he came so close to doing in August, both the team and the player would likely have enjoyed a prolific relationship.
Instead, he has been left to rot on the bench by Barcelona, who seemingly poached him out of spite after Roma knocked them out of the Champions League last season.
One window later and the 21-year-old is on the market again but it might be more than Roma who are sniffing around him now.
