Malcom in the middle? 3 ways Barcelona can line up with their new man

Roma's loss is Barcelona's gain.

Despite initially agreeing with the Serie A club over the transfer of gifted Brazilian winger Malcom, Bordeaux had a last-minute about-face and sent the 21-year-old star to Barcelona for a fee of €41 million.

Though the sudden interest from La Liga's reigning champion was a bit of a shock, the same can't be said of Barcelona's tactical need for a player of Malcom's calibre.

Here are 3 ways Barcelona can line up with its new man:

More of the same

Following Neymar's departure to Paris Saint-Germain last summer, new Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde tweaked the club's system by phasing out predecessor Luis Enrique's 4-3-3 and installing a more traditional 4-4-2. That pushed Lionel Messi up top with Luis Suarez while Coutinho went out left and a host of other players took up the vacant spot on the right.

However, neither Sergi Roberto, Ousmane Dembele, nor Andre Gomes could lay a permanent claim to the position, which may explain why Barcelona was reportedly eager to sign Willian before deciding on Malcom instead. The former Bordeaux winger would likely thrive on the right wing, linking up with Messi and frequently drifting inside on his dominant left foot.

Shadowing Suarez

Prior to Bordeaux, Malcom had stints in Brazil with Corinthians as a second striker, working just off a traditional No. 9 ahead of him, usually Peruvian talisman Paolo Guerrero. There's a small possibility he could grow into a similar role at Barcelona.

While it looks like a traditional 4-1-2-1-2, Malcom's role wouldn't be to connect the midfield to the attack, as that would be left to Coutinho or Rakitic behind him. Instead, the 21-year-old would shadow a slightly more advanced Suarez, allowing the Uruguayan to continue in his effective style as a poacher while permitting Messi to continue as a facilitator on the right. That would theoretically present Malcom with his most dangerous opportunities from the edge of the box, which is where he likes them, anyway.

A new look out left

Though they've been rare, Malcom has made some appearances on the left. It does negate his preferred style, but in this case separating him from Messi would give both players space to operate instead of risking redundant overlaps in attack, especially as they both prefer to drift inside from wide-right positions.

By flipping Malcom to the left, Coutinho would shift back to a central position just ahead of the midfield, similar to his role with Brazil at the World Cup. While this would slightly take away the threat of Malcom's left foot, the pacey star could still be the target of through-balls as he springs past unsuspecting defenders, or he could take on opponents with the ball while looking to open up space for Suarez instead.