Loan watch: Barcelona defender rediscovering form in Serie A brushing past injury issues

The past few years have been extremely troubled ones for FC Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti. Arriving at the club in 2016, the Frenchman soon became a permanent fixture at the heart of the Blaugrana defence and put in some stellar performances.

However, with time, his injury issues started to take centre stage and gradually, season after season, he slowly fell down the pecking order. There had been multiple windows when Barça tried to offload him, but fitness woes and high salary prevented that from happening.

In 2021, Umtiti reportedly broke into tears in front of Barcelona president Joan Laporta as he sought one last chance to prove himself. But, the 2021/22 campaign ended with him featuring in only one match.

Naturally, an exit became a necessity last summer and Serie A minnows Lecce presented Umtiti with an escape route, agreeing to sign him on loan for the 2022/23 season.

The 29-year-old had to bide his time in Italy initially, as he did not appear in the first six Serie A games after moving to the club. But, since making his debut for the club against AS Roma in October 2022, he has not looked back.

Indeed, Umtiti has become a mainstay in Lecce’s defensive unit, featuring 12 times in Serie A (11 starts), not playing just two matches since his maiden appearance for the club.

In the 12 matches he has played, the Italian minnows have lost just three times, kept three clean sheets, and conceded more than once in just four games.

While it is not to say that Umtiti is solely responsible for Lecce’s solidity at the back, one cannot undermine the Frenchman’s influence.

It was once again evident this weekend as he put in another assured shift for the Serie A outfit against top-four hopefuls AS Roma, with the game finishing 1-1.

Umtiti made six successful tackles against Jose Mourinho’s side – the most by any player in the match, while he also won five aerial duels, only Tammy Abraham (6) managed more. He also completed 30 passes in the match.

The defender was subjected to racist insults in the game against Lazio earlier this season.

He also suffered a shoulder injury which threatened to derail his momentum.

But, Umtiti has not let these issues affect him and has gotten a regular run of matches under his belt, something that had not happened at Barcelona in a long while.

Umtiti might not be back at his best version, but the 29-year-old, away from the limelight, the pressure, and the scrutiny at Barcelona is slowly rediscovering his form, brushing past the problems that have plagued him in the past.