Jeremy Mathieu Injury Underlines Barcelona Gamble in Transfer Window

When Barcelona signed Jeremy Mathieu from Valencia this summer for €20 million, they knew it was a gamble of sorts.

That much was reaffirmed when they later purchased another left-footed defender in Thomas Vermaelen, who will be battling with Mathieu for a place in the team. 

Well, that would be the case if they weren't both injured, per this SPORT tweet. 

Mathieu, who also sustained an injury in pre-season, has a problem in his right ankle which makes him doubtful for the game against Athletic Club on Saturday at the Camp Nou. 

Given that Javier Mascherano's suspension for his sending off against Elche has expired, it doesn't leave Barcelona in too much difficulty, with the Argentine likely to line up alongside either Gerard Pique or Marc Bartra at the back.

And while the injury is not particularly serious, it does highlight the gamble that the club have taken on Mathieu.

Paying that much for a 30-year-old, set to turn 31 this month, was always going to be viewed as poor business behaviour, even though sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta argued against it. He said, per SPORT:

"

To play for Barca you need to take risks at the back. Mathieu has played for years and knows the game, he knows the pressure and knows the demands of the Camp Nou, he knows the players and will fit in seamlessly. Everybody knows he can speak Spanish.

"

Valencia were in a commanding position during the transfer negotiations for Mathieu and practically forced Barcelona to pay through the nose for him, as explained here, on Bleacher Report. 

Furthermore, there is no indication of how Mathieu will cope with big-game pressure at Barcelona.

He has only ever been capped three times by France, although he was called up to their most recent squad.

Didier Deschamps, the Les Blues coach, said that the move to Barcelona had worked in Mathieu's favour.

He told SPORT: "After the injury to Koscielny I opted for Mathieu, as his move to Barca has served to take him a step forward."

Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

But to be called up as a reserve for another injured player is far from a vote of confidence in the centre-back.

His composure on the ball is a huge asset for Barcelona, but he will be judged by his ability to keep other teams at bay.

The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale will fancy their chances when they take on the Frenchman.

His La Liga debut, against Villarreal, was far from perfect, with SPORT giving him a five out of 10.

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"The Frenchman was the weakest part of the defence. Some of his clearances were terrible and he nearly scored an own goal with an attempt at cutting out a cross, but hit the post," read David Boti's description of Mathieu's performance.

However, it would be churlish to judge him before has career at Barcelona has barely even begun.

The one thing we can be sure of is that Barcelona knew they were taking a risk when they signed him.