Barcelona hurtling towards disaster with overrated Greenwood

Robin Bairner

• 24 Jan 2024 10:12 GMT
• 10 min read

Barcelona are edging towards a controversial move for Manchester United attacker Mason Greenwood, according to reports.

The Sun states that the Catalan club view Greenwood, 22, as an ideal addition to their club, while the once-capped England forward has told his representatives that Barca would be a “dream move” for him.

Loaned to Getafe in the summer, the forward has contributed five goals and four assists for the mid-table LaLiga outfit.

The move was designed to give the player time to repair his tarnished reputation after an internal investigation from Manchester United decided that he was no longer suitable to represent the club. This judgement was arrived at after a police investigation into his private life was dropped following the withdrawal of a key witness, with Greenwood denying all allegations.

And it appears to have worked, with an unnamed source stating: “Barcelona want to sign Greenwood, and he wants to move there. The next step is for the clubs to come to an agreement.

“Manchester United want to sell the player and the manager has accepted Greenwood won’t be returning. The view is that it is best for all parties to have a clean break. As talented as Greenwood is, a return to the club when they are at the start of a new chapter, with new owners, is regarded as a backward step.

“He hit the ground running at Getafe and played well which is why Barcelona want him.

"They think he is a player who can help take them to the next level both in the domestic competitions and in Europe and is one for the future. They think Greenwood would also be an exciting signing for the fans. They’ve sent scouts to watch him six times this season and the reports have been overwhelmingly positive.”

A questionable impact

If Greenwood’s LaLiga contributions have received a positive media response, there remains a question over just how much he is actually contributing to his side.

Of his seven goal contributions in LaLiga (three goals and four assists), six have come against opponents in the bottom five of the table. The sole exception was an assist against Athletic Club way back in September.

Data analytics experts SciSports, meanwhile, rate Greenwood comfortably in the lower half of wingers in LaLiga this season.

Barca, meanwhile, have four players in the top 10 in this area: Raphinha, Ferran Torres, Joao Felix and Lamine Yamal.

It could be argued, of course, that Greenwood is still finding his feet after 18 months out of the game, yet this does not appear to be the case.

SciSports’ SciSkill score for the player, a figure calculated by using hundreds of in-game data points, shows that Greenwood’s level has almost flatlined this season. He is improving, but painfully slowly.

Even allowing for the off-field baggage that Greenwood brings, he is not the type of player Barcelona should be staking their future on given their perilous financial state. It is an unnecessary risk that provides few solutions but threatens to pose significant problems.