Why the next few weeks are vital in Bradley Barcola's Paris Saint Germain career?

It is seemingly inconceivable that a player who had as good a season as Bradley Barcola did last year should end up fourth in the pecking order for their position at their club, but that has become the case for the Frenchman, who has found himself indisputably behind Ousmane Dembélé, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desiré Doué in the race for a first team spot as a forward in the French capital.

Why Barcola is at a turning point of his PSG career?

Barcola registered an extremely impressive 21 goals and 21 assists in all competitions last season, and yet found himself increasingly displaced, specifically in Paris's Champions League run, as the January signing of Georgian international Kvaratskhelia saw his minutes drastically reduce. The problem for Barcola, was that he increasingly seemed to become the fourth choice forward at a club who's manager is faithful to a 433 formation that doesn't have space for four forwards.

Barcola did still get significant minutes off the bench in big games last season, and was part of a squad rotation system in the league that meant he still got plenty of game time. However, he will no doubt feel frustration at having started on the bench in so many of the big Champions League matches, including the final.

Summer rumours of discontent, indeed, tell the story of a player who thinks he deserves to start for his club, with persistent rumours floating around linking him to a move abroad. Barcola's current contract lasts until the summer of 2028, so any potential departure would be extremely costly for the buying club, but it is understandable, given his usurpation from the first team and his phenomenal record at such a young age, that he has attracted plenty of suitors.

Therefore, the next few weeks are absolutely key for the Frenchman. There is something undeniably raw about his game, with the continual issue of missed chances often putting a dampener on great, explosive performances, but he undoubtedly remains one of the best and most exciting young talents in the world, and an asset that any team would love to employ. The next few weeks are a chance to change that and to force his way back into Luis Enrique's first team, even though he will quite possibly have to make this impression from the right wing, as Kvaratskhelia is playing on the opposite flank, and PSG have tended to employ Barcola more freely across the frontline than the Georgian in the past.

Should Barcola continue his goal scoring form over the next few weeks, including in PSG's first Champions League game at home to Atalanta, it could be the start of a revival, in which he forces Enrique to reconfigure his attacking line up and turns himself an undroppable player. Barcola will hope that by the time his two French international teammates return, they won't be able to take their immediate return to the starting XI for granted.

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