12 Feb 2022 | 08:54 | Football
According to Sport, Depay was disgruntled when he lost his position in the Barca squad under coach Xavi. During the mid-season transfer window of 2021/22, a number of clubs in Italy offered to recruit Depay, but the Dutch player wanted to stick with Barca for at least 6 more months.
Memphis Depay is injured. But in the current context, it is difficult for the former MU star to have a main kick when Barca’s attack becomes cramped because he has just added 3 quality strikers, Aubameyang, Adama Traore and Ferran Torres.
The Barca squad has Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati for the role of striker. From his position as the number one star of Barca’s attack, Depay is now likely to be pushed to the bench.
Earlier, Marca reported that coach Xavi did not consider Depay an important part of the Barca squad. That’s why the “giant” of Catalonia recruited 3 notable players at the same time as a striker.
Depay joined Barca when the club was led by coach Ronald Koeman. This is a free deal, so Barca is determined to have Depay. But the performance of the Dutch player from the beginning of the season was only at a round level.
The striker born in 1997 played 23 matches, scored 8 goals and provided 2 assists for Barca. In which, 3 goals were made by Depay on the 11 m dot.
Under Koeman, Depay played at the top of Barca’s attack. In La Liga 2021/22, Depay finishes 2.7 phases/match, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of only 18% of shots into goals.
Last season, Depay’s scoring rate after each shot was 18%. The difference is that Depay has fewer shots than when he plays for Lyon, so the number of goals decreases. Depay’s scoring performance is also only temporarily acceptable in Europe’s top strikers.
Depay received the title of “Golden Boy” after the explosive 2014/15 season with PSV. Then, he joined MU, but the performance was disappointing. Depay shined in Ligue 1, but a torn ligament made him struggle to find form.
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