The Premier League could come to Martin Braithwaite’s rescue with his Barcelona future uncertain; West Ham United and Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton are linked.
Maybe it was the manner in which he joined Barcelona, completely out of the blue and leaving relegation-threatened Leganes in the lurch.
But Martin Braithwaite certainly didn’t deserve the scrutiny that came his way when he sealed a shock move to the Camp Nou in controversial circumstances – outside of the transfer window, no less.
This is a forward with 39 caps for the Danish national team. He twice hit double figures in Ligue 1 for a struggling Toulouse side and, as avid La Liga viewers will tell you, he was by far and away the most impressive performer at Leganes.
There is a reason why Barcelona chose him over a whole host of alternative options when they were scouring the market for a new striker to solve their injury crisis, after all.
And Luis Suarez, one of the game’s elite centre-forwards who now counts Braithwaite as a team-mate, certainly believes this much-maligned 28-year-old deserves more credit than he is getting right now.
“Martin is going to surprise people. He is at a great level. He was the best player Leganes had and, with the players he has around him at Barcelona, he can reach his potential.” Suarez said.
Unfortunately for Braithwaite, however, his Catalan dream is not likely to last for much longer. Sport claims that Barca have already agreed with his agent that his spell at the Camp Nou will be a short one.
The La Liga champions will sell if they receive an offer of £16 million with Everton and West Ham United apparently keen to offer this one-time Middlesbrough forward a second chance on English shores (Sport).
And before you jump at the chance to criticise one of the most surprising signings in Barcelona’s modern history, maybe it’s worth remembering what Suarez had to say about this underrated, unappreciated attacker.
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