Will Allowing Martin Montoya to Leave Backfire on Barcelona?
Martin Montoya choosing to leave Barcelona isn't breaking news—the storm at Camp Nou has been brewing for some while now.
Despite signing a new five-year deal during last season on the proviso that he received more minutes on the pitch, if anything his progression within the side has been stunted. His growth and development as a player have been virtually non-existent.
Montoya has been with the club for 13 years now and could probably do with a change professionally to re-invigorate his career, given that it's clear with the current managerial set-up that the status quo will remain as it is presently.
One appearance all season long is even less than the playing time of much-derided summer signing Douglas, and if Luis Enrique's modus operandi was to manage Montoya out of the club, he has gone exactly the right way about it.
The youngster may have felt that with his old Barca B manager in charge he would finally get the game time he's been awaiting since the tenure of Tito Vilanova.
Yet, as with Tito and Tata Martino after him, Enrique has decided that Montoya doesn't quite fit the bill. Given that he is now the fourth Barca manager in a row to disregard Montoya's claims—Pep Guardiola was similarly unimpressed—we have to assume that those in charge know much more about this strangest of situations.
How else do you explain away the fact that a player who is demonstrably a better defender than the man with the shirt—Alves—is nowhere near to being picked week in and week out?
Barca like their full-backs to attack, of course, and there aren't too many better attacking full-backs in the world than Alves. But it must be noted that a high number of goals are conceded by the Blaugrana because of the Brazilian's penchant for wanderlust.
Like Jordi Alba on the opposite flank, Alves is often found at the wrong end of the pitch. And while many speculate on Barca's inability to defend the high ball into the box, if the full-backs were in position, those crosses invariably would not rain down in the first place.
So what are the club actually saying here? Do they want their defenders to attend to their primary role, or are they actually looking for supplementary attackers?
Unfortunately for Montoya, there is no room for sentiment in football any longer and whether forced out or not, it's pretty clear that his time is up.
Rumours also abound that Alves, too, may be on his way. According to Spanish source Mundo Deportivo (h/t Joe Short of the Daily Express), Manchester United have a strong interest in signing the Brazilian during the January transfer window.
That he could be on the move would leave Barca with an almighty problem. Only Douglas would remain as a natural right-back, and he definitely hasn't set the world alight under Enrique.
Even if Barca were to perform a drastic U-turn given Alves' possible departure, Montoya's mind is already made up.
Sam Marsden of Catalan daily Sport noted the words of Montoya's agent, Juan de Dios Carrasco, who spoke with Radio Marca:
"In [Luis Enrique's] plans and system, he has no place for [Montoya] and he is behind both Dani Alves and Douglas.
He will leave Barcelona 100 percent when the transfer window opens.
Now we only want to find the best club for Martin, in order to serve his progression [as a footballer].
There are clubs in Germany, England and Italy that are trying to sign him.
"
In a season where it would appear mistakes have already been made in the transfer market—Douglas and Thomas Vermaelen spring to mind—are Barca really stupid enough to allow one of their own to slip through their fingers?
It would complete an unwanted hat-trick and leave Barca's fans scratching their heads once again.
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