Manchester United have their eyes fixed upon one of the bright young stars of Ligue 1. Bordeaux winger Malcom has risen to the fore this season thanks to a propensity to score spectacular goals, but he is so much more than an impressive left foot.
When the 20-year-old promised that he would remain at Stade Matmut-Atlantique for the remainder of the season back in August, he probably had no idea his talents would attract interest from some of the game’s biggest clubs, while there also appeared little prospect of Bordeaux becoming embroiled in the type of relegation dogfight they now face.
“I’m going to stay at Bordeaux,” he told the press after playing a leading role in a 2-0 win over Metz after the second round of fixtures this season.
With the January transfer window looming, it is time for the South American, whose highlight reel of goals this season is perhaps the most impressive of any player in Europe’s top leagues, to reassess those comments.
Since they were made, Bordeaux have picked up only 16 points in 18 matches – relegation form – while Malcom has struck seven times in Ligue 1 and has added four further assists, matching last season’s tallies in both departments exactly.
“He will not leave this winter,” president Stephane Martin told L’Equipe in light of interest from Old Trafford, as well as Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. “What if we got an immediate loan deal back? I don’t see that being in the interests of the club to do that. We’ve not spoken about it and it’s not something we’re working on.”
There is no question of Malcom having established himself as their star man, despite this being just his second season as a regular in the starting XI. He has displayed speed, technical skill, maturity and a goalscoring capability, although his club’s overreliance on him has shouldered him with an unfair burden.
Bordeaux’s fortunes are tied to that of a young man still learning his profession and who, by the very nature of the role he plays wide on the left, remains an unpredictable talent.
It is an unhealthy situation to be in for one of France’s biggest clubs, and it is not ideal for such a promising young player to be incessantly under such pressure.
The opportunity to play a bit-part role at a bigger club could, therefore, be a welcome one. Of course there would be pressure, but out of the spotlight it may not be quite so relentless. Nurtured in the correct way, it could even be beneficial.
Dortmund, who retain an interest, saw him as an option last summer to replace Ousmane Dembele, and for a period it appeared that there was strong chance that he could move to Germany after a strong finish to the 2016-17 season.
His performances have since gone up a level, and as they have improved, so too has the standard of club chasing him. Inevitably, his fee has risen in line with this – a potential €15 million summer move has grown to €60m.
It may seem strange to advocate a club in trouble selling their best player, but Bordeaux, who lost five successive matches before the winter break, have been wholly without balance throughout this season. There has been a sense that Malcom can get them out of any hole they dig themselves into and it has only been since they have been sucked towards the foot of the table that this fallacy has been blown to pieces.
Head coach Jocelyn Gourvennec’s position at the club is unstable, with the former Guingamp boss a champion of Malcom. It was he who presented the Brazilian with his first regular game time, while he has also spoken of the player in the highest terms publicly when given the chance.
“He’s always joyful, vibrant and full of energy, you can see it on a daily basis,” he said back in August.
“The [Dortmund] rumours around him have not affected him at all because, although he’s a young boy, he’s very mature and knows how to be decisive, when you can laugh and when you have to work. He’s always had that in him and he will always have it.”
Malcom has exploded this season in a manner beyond expectations and while Gourvennec argued at the start of the season that a big move may be “premature” for the attacker, the time may already have arrived for him to move on.
Manchester United, Barcelona or PSG would be a great step up, but given the strife in Bordeaux, it could prove a timely one both for the club and the player.
