Sport has recently reported that Barcelona are willing to sanction Samuel Umtiti’s exit on a free transfer this summer. It is understood that the Catalans are desperate to get rid of the French centre-back and could terminate his contract after growing tired of the player’s reluctance to leave during this summer transfer window.
Umtiti’s Mounting Frustrations At Catalonia
Umtiti missed a lot of key games for the Catalan outfit last season due to a serious knee injury. He could only manage to appear in 16 matches for Ronald Koeman’s side in the previous campaign, picking up two yellow cards across multiple competitions.
The French defender saw most of his playing minutes come as a substitute which explains why he averaged 0.4 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, and 1.1 clearances per 90 minutes in the 2020-21 La Liga season. However, Umtiti was excellent when distributing possession from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 93.8% in the Spanish top tier (stats via whoscored).
The 27-year-old has completely lost his way at the Nou Camp. Thus, it’s high time that the Yaunde-born was forced out of Barcelona as the club seem to be growing tired of the player’s antics after he repeatedly refused to join any of his potential suitors because of his desire to play UEFA Champions League this season.
Are Barca Making The Right Call By Cutting Umtiti Loose On A Free Transfer This Summer?
When Umtiti is playing regularly on the field, he can be a decent defender at the back. He is usually quick to spot the danger and can clear his lines when on the back foot. The French sensation is a good passer of the ball and can also win his fair share of duels in the air. However, frequent injuries have hampered his progress at the Nou Camp.
Umtiti is currently living on borrowed time at Catalonia as the Spanish giants are desperate to move him on so that they can lower their wage bill and ease their financial concerns a bit this summer. Thus, it seems like Barca are making the correct call by threatening to terminate his contract, even though the defender has still got just less than two years remaining in his current deal.
Koeman cannot afford to have an unsettled player like Umtiti as it could potentially disrupt the chemistry of his squad. Therefore, the Catalan club should try everything they can to cut the 31-time France international loose before the end of this month.
