Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite turned down the chance to join West Bromwich Albion in a £14 million loan-to-buy deal during the final few hours of the January transfer window, as reported by El Mundo Deportivo.
It is high time we gave his former Middlesbrough bench-warmer the credit he deserves.
12 months on from that controversial switch from Leganes to Catalonia, Braithwaite has evolved from much-maligned back-up into a genuinely important part of Ronald Koeman’s team.
In fact, there is a nagging feeling that Barca play some of their best football when the 29-year-old Dane is leading the line.
Braithwaite has not only scored six times in total, he also does the ‘unfashionable’ job up front; holding off defenders, running the channels and opening up spaces for the likes of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
A striker who fell out of favour under Tony Pulis at the Riverside has told everyone who will listen that he is desperate to make his mark at Barcelona, stating before Christmas that he had ‘not even thought’ about giving up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at a bona fide European super-club.
So it is no surprise Braithwaite gave a mid-season switch to West Brom the cold shoulder.
MD claims that the relegation-threatened Baggies wanted to take Braithwaite on an initial loan deal that would eventually set them back £14 million.
But the hard-working frontman was never going to swap the Champions League for a club hurtling towards the Championship at breakneck speed.
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