Barcelona have recently admitted their interest in Sporting Lisbon’s prolific winger Gelson Martins, who in the good books of fellow La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Premier League veterans Manchester United. Under the tutelage of Jorge Jesus, Martins has revolutionised himself and earned quite a bit of fame in the football arena. Though Barcelona have not kept their pursuits for Martins undisclosed, they will definitely have to go toe to toe with big clubs and here is a brief SWOT Analysis of the Sporting Lisbon’s speedster.
Strength
First and foremost, a couple juicy prospects comprising of incredible pace and impeccable dribbling skills make the 21-year-old quite stupendous to watch. From his conventional position on the right wing, one can’t help but wonder at the ease with which Martins blasts past the defenders with relative ease.
He loves to drift inside and never shies away from taking shots from a considerable distance. What is splendid to see in him is the way he invites his teammates to the game by holding up the play and then implements his strong suits, i.e. dribbling and crossing from the flanks.
From him, some sharp passes aren’t unexpected and the crosses that he contemplates are perfectly venomous which make him a complete package and an asset for any side he plies his trade in. Frankly speaking, Barcelona are in the dire need to get hold of an employee of high calibre and Martins certainly fits the bill.
Weaknesses
The Portuguese international suffers from inferiority complex when it comes to withstanding the physicality from the opponents on the pitch. Apart from this, Martins squanders a lot of clear goal scoring chances which dents his otherwise offensive soundness to a considerable extent and thus, he definitely needs to better his finishing techniques.
Opportunity
Gelson Martins is a prized asset at the club as well as the national side and certainly possesses the ingredients necessary to be considered so. At the moment, he is tied to Estádio José Alvalade until 2021 and interestingly, Sporting Lisbon have inserted a €60 million buy-out clause in his contract.
The price should not be a factor for Barça, though the highly talented stalwart needs to address his weaknesses and build on his strengths this season to become a regular player for Sporting Lisbon as well as Portugal before a mega club comes to lure him.
Threat
With every added expectation comes the undeniable need to perform consistently on a consistent basis and more often than not, youngsters fail to thrive under the heat of pressure. It’s a common parlance to see the young guns trying too hard with the ball to ‘prove’ them as an indispensable commodity which eventually deters their growth and is a sheer wastage of their stamina and one can see Martins getting inclined to it at times, which he needs to avoid.
With the support from Jorge Jesus, he needs to ensure that he better his former self on every outing as he still has yards to cover before he imposes himself as a threatening force by the opponents.
