4 Barcelona players who must step up their game next season

#2 Malcom

Malcom scored just one goal in La Liga

Malcom was the subject of one of the most controversial transfers in history when he signed for Barcelona last summer despite having previously agreed terms with AS Roma.

The Italian club had gone ahead to announce his signing on Twitter, while thousands of fans had thronged the Rome international airport to welcome him, but in rather shocking scenes, Malcom ended up signing for the Spaniards with the Italian club threatening to take action.

For all the acrimony associated with his arrival, Malcom spectacularly failed to justify the fuss, as he struggled to break into the Barcelona first team.

Prior to his departure, the Brazilian international had been one of the hottest European prospects at Bordeaux, sought after by most of Europe's elite and there must have been quite a few smiles at Camp Nou when his arrival was confirmed, with it expected that the 22-year-old would complement the efforts of Messi and co. in attack.

However, that proved to not be the case as Malcom made just 23 appearances in all competitions, with most of those coming off the bench, scoring four goals.

This is far from what was expected from a player who was signed for €42m and the Blaugrana faithful would be hoping he would deliver more next season.