Ferran needed one match. A brace on his PSG debut

Ferran Torres was supposed to need time. He had spent several weeks away from team training, was only just returning after the World Cup and had completed a handful of sessions with his new teammates. Luis Enrique therefore left him on the bench against Rennes and allowed him to wait until Paris Saint-Germain urgently needed help.

That did not take long. Rennes went into half-time with a 2–0 lead after goals from Sebastian Szymański and Estéban Lepaul. PSG had the ball, the expensive squad and all the familiar advantages. Rennes had the rather more useful asset of a two-goal lead.

Then Ferran arrived. The former Barcelona forward came off the bench and scored twice on his official PSG debut. No gentle introduction, no collection of substitute appearances and no lengthy explanation about needing time to adapt. One evening, two goals. The instruction manual was remarkably short.

It was an especially impressive start because French reports had highlighted his lack of match fitness before the game. Ferran had not played since the World Cup final, while his preseason preparations had been interrupted by the transfer. Luis Enrique still included him in the squad and received exactly what he had brought him to Paris to provide: versatility across the attack and goals when the match was going badly.

PSG paid around €50 million for the Spain international. Barcelona sold him with one year remaining on his contract, deciding that the timing was right to collect a fee and reshape the attack. The financial reasoning can still be defended. The slightly awkward detail is that Barcelona are simultaneously searching for another centre-forward. They sold a striker and then opened a list of strikers they would like to buy. The process remains intact. Only the names and expected prices have changed.

One performance is not enough to declare that Barcelona made a transfer mistake. Ferran also produced excellent nights in Catalonia before occasionally disappearing for long stretches. It is fair to say, however, that he could hardly have made a better first impression in France. He entered a very difficult match from the bench and scored twice.

Only a week ago, his departure was supposed to create room in Barcelona’s squad and budget. One week later, Ferran has a debut brace while his former club continue to examine which striker they might sign for considerably more money.

The Shark has changed waters. So far, he appears to like them.

Sources: L’Équipe — Rennes vs PSG live report | L’Équipe — Ferran Torres joins PSG | Reuters — PSG complete the signing