PSG were active towards the end of the summer transfer window. They brought in a few players to strengthen their attack. Bradley Barcola also became a new addition to the team after completing a move from rival Lyon. This move came as a surprise to many, and the 21-year-old made his debut for PSG against his former club.
The French U21 international was promoted to the first team in the 2021–22 season. After impressing in his first season, Barcola got more opportunities in the last campaign, and he impressed everyone by scoring goals and creating a few other goals for his teammates. Let’s take a look at why PSG spent heavily to recruit this young Frenchman from their rivals.
Versatile winger
PSG have some stars in their attacking line-up, and Barcola will have to wait for his time to get regular football. Ousmane Dembele starts on the right wing and Kylian Mbappe on the opposite side. Replacing both of them in the starting 11 is a huge task on these young shoulders.
However, if PSG have some injury issues, Barcola can offer his skills on both sides of the field. He showed his versatility by playing on both wings for Lyon in the 2022–23 season. The progressive chart also shows the same. Barcola made 54 progressive runs and had a 49% success rate. He was more active on the left wing than the right wing.
Creative force
Bradley Barcola impressed many with his creativity on the field. The youngster chipped in with nine assists in the 1,912 minutes spent on the pitch by him during the whole 2022–23 campaign.
The 21-year-old just created 25 shot assist chances, and nine were converted by his teammates. All these passes landed on the edge of the six-yard box, and scoring was made easy by Barcola.
Bradley Barcola was involved in 26.5 passes per 90 minutes and had a 75.7% accuracy rate. These passes included 2.07 into the opposition penalty box and the accuracy rate for these passes was 59%. Barcola’s ability to beat defenders on the edge of the penalty box allows him to deliver some crucial passes into the penalty box.
The French U21 international also scored seven times in the 2022–23 campaign. He attempted 34 shots, and 56% of them were on target. Once again, Barcola managed to find space inside the penalty box and take his shots from close range. He averaged more than five touches inside the box per 90 minutes. The above shot map shows that most of the shots were directed to the right of the goalkeeper.
Bradley Barcola is a future prospect, and Luis Enrique will look to groom him. PSG have a lot of talented players on their team, and Barcola will have to be at his best to get into the first team.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
