Torres, Traore and now Aubameyang? How Barca's January dealings show how far Depay has fallen

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 7 min read

Much of Barcelona’s January transfer window has been based around the drama and immediate future of Ousmane Dembele.

The French winger hasn’t yet signed a new contract, therefore he must be sold. Which now means that the club are scrambling to bring in new forwards from anywhere they can find them.

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However, while this is all true, the club’s transfer policy in the January window also underlines another unavoidable point: Memphis Depay’s move to the club has been a failure.

Depay’s poor form at Barca

Indeed, the mess over Dembele’s future and the scramble to accommodate his imminent departure would have undoubtedly been softened or altogether avoided if Barca had any confidence in Depay leading the line for the remainder of the season.

Despite being heralded as the club’s future when he joined from Lyon in the summer, the Netherlands international hasn’t exactly lived up to the billing.

From 23 games in all competitions, the forward has managed just eight goals and two assists. And a hamstring injury has meant that he hasn’t started a league match for Barca since early December.

The club’s efforts to replace him

It’s with this poor run of form in mind that Barca undoubtedly pushed the boat out financially and made a move for Manchester City forward Ferran Torrres, which undoubtedly gobbled up most of the club’s transfer budget.

While Torres could play alongside Depay, the young Spaniard has undoubtedly been signed as a talisman and potentially a long-term replacement for the Dutch forward. Adama Traore then arrived from Wolves with the same purpose.

However, it could be the deadline day signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal that underlines just how little faith Barca have in their summer signing. A third forward signed in as many weeks, all while Depay continues to struggle in front of goal.