They were in talks for both and, on Tuesday, Barcelona made a breakthrough to sign Malcom from Bordeaux rather than Willian from Chelsea.
Both available at the right price, what will the Azulgrana be getting having chosen their particular Brazilian winger?
Age gap
The obvious difference between the players comes in their age and experience. Willian turns 30 at the beginning of August and has much less time ahead of him in the game than Malcom, who blew out 21 candles on his cake in February.
Immediate impact
It can be predicted with reasonable accuracy that the Chelsea man would have adapted quicker to the Camp Nou than his compatriot, given his multiple years at the top and time spent alongside world class players on the pitch and in the dressing room.
Long-term development
Given that Malcom is yet to debut for Brazil or play in the Champions League, having spent over two years as a dependable option in Ligue 1, the potential for him to excel is large. In a short time, he has shown himself to have the qualities of a Barcelona star, now he has the chance to become one for real.
Wingers with nuances
While Willian is a right-footed, right midfielder who can track back and shoot from distance, be that at a set-piece or in open play, the Catalans' new signing is a somewhat different beast. The left-footer will prefer to use his acceleration and dribbling ability to run at defenders, facing goal whenever possible. With this style, he scored 12 and assisted a further seven goals last campaign.
Barcelona bargain?
In their discussions with Chelsea, it was evident that the Premier League giants were to demand upwards of 70m euros to let Willian go, with the winger also on a big wage given his experience and earnings in West London. Contrastingly, Bordeaux settled on 41m euros for Malcom having accepted a 32m euro Roma offers just hours before.
Yorokiri
172
it's simple Chelsea didn't want to sell that's why they demanded so much money for a 30yrs old.... only two players in the world of football that can command that outrageous amount at 30.... CR7 $ Messi
follower
134
5 reasons why Barcelona get malcom: - take their revenge from roma for getting eliminated - make him a bench warmer - avoid roma from becoming more stronger than before - make him an injury prone - beat roma easily when they face them
ahmibr
122
why did the article not say the difference between their hair
BAPPSPAULO
119
Barcelona will always pay back
shray_srivastava
80
I think, it's a smart move, Chelsea demanded €80m+ for Willian whose turnning 30 next month, it's better to pay half the price for someone with same characteristics and is only 21. Willian's signing would have hampered Dembele's development, as Willian would start ahead for most of the games, but now there can be a serious competition between the two wingers & it might just get the best out of both.
Bullockthesun
42
its goof to have hungry young players for competition. its good for the team UB a short and long run. I think we have to try different line ups to be less predictable and let a guy like messi rest. these guys are Barca's future
The thing is there’s already multiple players in that position. Players like Dembele and Malcom aren’t gonna want to sit on the bench most of the season. They’re going to want to play week after week. When Dembele was healthy he wasn’t started so there’s obvious competition for that position. The ones I listed are ones where Barca needs squad players. There’s a huge difference between the starting XI and the bench.
Bullockthesun
38
He’s a good signing but why did they get him if they have Dembele? What Barca need is defenders, a quality CM, and a striker.