In a recent report, Sport revealed that Barcelona are planning to cash in on Clement Lenglet this summer. It is understood that the Catalan giants want to sell the French centre-back in order to bring in new recruits during the summer transfer window.
Lenglet’s Limited Role At The Nou Camp This Season
Lenglet has played a sporadic role for Barca this season as he has often found himself on Xavi’s bench. The 26-year-old has been involved in 16 matches for the Catalan outfit during this campaign, picking up one assist across all competitions.
The French defensive ace has seen most of his game time come as a substitute which explains why he is only averaging 1.2 tackles, 0.6 interceptions and 0.8 clearances per 90 minutes in La Liga. However, Lenglet has been exceptional with his ball distribution after completing 90.5% of his attempted passes in the Spanish first division (stats via whoscored).
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Should Barcelona Cut Lenglet Loose This Summer?
Lenglet can get stuck in with some crunching tackles to make life difficult for the opposition attackers. He is usually quick to react to the danger and doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed.
The Frenchman can time his challenges well to earn possession back on the defensive end of the field. Furthermore, he is a great passer of the ball but needs to ensure regular playing minutes if he wants to make the most of his career.
At 26, Lenglet is about to enter his prime, so it is only fair to the player if Barca allow him to leave in the summer. The French talent still has plenty of time to turn his career around for the better over the next few seasons. He is currently surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp as he has fallen behind Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo in Xavi‘s pecking order.
With all things considered, the Catalan giants should consider cutting Lenglet loose as they can use the money and the wage space generated from his sale to strengthen their squad at the end of this season.
