Why Malcom is making a mistake by joining Barcelona.

With Malcom having rejected Roma to join Spanish powerhouse outfit Barcelona, one drawn out transfer saga has come to an end.

The Bordeaux man has made this decision after having mentally traveled to almost the whole of Europe. It was suggested that he was close to Tottenham Hotspur back in January before the London based side signed Lucas Moura. Reports had linked him with Arsenal and Bayern Munich, but Malcom was very close to signing for Inter earlier this summer, before Everton entered the race and were in advanced talks to sign him. Roma came announced that a deal has been reached, before Barcelona made an improved offer million euros as Bordeaux blocked Malcom’s Roma move.

All this hassle has done one thing- it has forced Malcom into makin Barcelona at this point in his career.

The winger is very quick and won’t just hug the touchline. He likes to drift in and do all kinds of stuff down the left flank. He found the back of the net 12 times in the Ligue 1 last season for Bordeau assisting seven times in 35 appearances.

A must for any player at this age is regular first team football. Malcom was getting that at Bordeaux and would sure have got that at Roma, with Stephan El Shaarawy and Diego Perotti expected to leave this summer. The sales of the both of these players would have made clear roo player who very much is in the mould of someone Roma have already developed into a and sold him to Liverpool last summer- Mohamed Salah.

Under a manager like Eusebio di Francesco, who loves playing attacking, Malcom is certain to thrive. Or rather, he is more likely to thrive than he will at Barcelona.

Under Ernesto Valverde, Barcelona played a 4-3-3 formation only nine times in all competitions last season, with the former Athletic Bilbao boss preferring a 4-4-2 formation. That is exactly where the problem starts as Malcom is a pretty ineffectual as a right midfielder.

He is far better playing as a right winger and he much more effective playing further forward than at right-midfield in a 4-4-2. Bordeaux played a 4-3-3 formation last season and that brought the best out of Malcom as he had the freedom to create and score.

Not just that, but the players Barcelona have will not help Malcom even one bit. Even play a 4-3-3 formation, Leo Messi will line-up on the Dembele/ Philippe Coutinho on the left. That leaves Malcom as a second choice. With the probability of the formation being 4-3-3 low, playing up front is where Malcom will fit in  Messi and Suarez will be the first-choice players.

And for a player like Malcom, who has so much momentum under his belt at this point for was at Bordeaux, it seems like a decision that will hinder his development and growth. A player like Yerry Mina was brought in last January and was played regularly because of his tactical inadeptness and lack of intelligence to play the Barcelona way. He started four games for Barcelona, out of which they one only once and Mina was very poor in a 5-4 loss to Levante.

Malcom will face similar tactical difficulties. He will in a system that is more sophisticated than the one at Bordeaux. His freedom will be restricted and his game time will reduce consider.