On January 10, FC Barcelona surprised everyone by announcing the extension of Samuel Umtiti, yet deemed undesirable. But the Frenchman took a huge risk by signing his new contract. Explanations.
Samuel Umtiti (28) was no longer really popular at FC Barcelona. Indisputable holder alongside Gerard Piqué during his first two seasons in Catalonia, the French international (31 caps, 4 goals) then went through hell on his return from Russia. The fault mainly with a cascade of injuries and a failing knee.
Since then, the former resident of Olympique Lyonnais has become a pebble in the blaugrana shoe. Often injured and handsomely paid up to €7 million per season, the Frenchman was far from being a good investment. On many occasions, Barça has therefore sought to part with it. In vain. This winter, departure rumors were once again legion, but still no departure on the horizon.
A boon for Barça’s finances
And then, on January 10, a huge surprise: Barça announced the extension of its defender until 2026, with a departure option free of any contract from June 2023. To explain this announcement, the Catalans were clear: Umtiti has significantly lowered his salary (from €7 million to €3 million annually) and this smoothing has enabled the club to acquire new reinforcements.
But in today’s edition, Sport tells us that Umtiti made a very risky bet. Indeed, in addition to having accepted a sharp drop in salary, the Frenchman would have indexed his emoluments to his playing time. Clearly, the part of variables linked to his minutes spent on the field would be significantly greater than the fixed part . A huge bet therefore for a player who has only started in La Liga 30 times since 2018. And to think that the player recently suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot which will force him to stay away from the land for three months…
