In this series, we will analyse teams, identify problem areas, and suggest
solutions in the form of incoming players. We won’t follow gossip, rumours
or conjecture. We’re concerned only with a player’s on-field performance and
their suitability for the role in question.
Today’s team is Barcelona, welcome to Sensible Transfers.
On the one hand, Barcelona are a club in crisis. They are over one billion euro in debt,
out of the Champions League before the knockouts for the first time since 2004, and, having lost
Lionel Messi in the summer, cannot claim to have any of the world’s best players in their squad.
On the other, Xavi has returned, bringing with him an understanding of the club’s history and
traditions that has, of late, been lacking. He has emphasised hard work and discipline,
rather than immediately espousing a return to Cruyffian ideals,
but it’s a sensible start. And he’s revamped the club’s staff, bringing in trusted backroom
employees and clearing out almost every coach or physio associated with Ronald Koeman’s regime.
Xavi can call on some excellent, if ageing players,
and the young talent coming through at Barcelona is showing signs of real quality
and Frenkie De Jong and Memphis are more than useful. But there is too much average ability,
especially in attack and defence, for a club of Barcelona’s stature. Unfortunately, without sales,
revamping this team is going to take time because of Barcelona’s dire financial situation.
To improve the team sustainably, Xavi needs to build around a core of homegrown talent,
old and young, keeping those key players fit, and add quality in attack and defence. He may be the
coach to bring back a Cruyff-Guardiola-inspired possessional 4-3-3 and get Barcelona playing the
Barcelona way, but Barcelona’s squad need time to reach those heights.
So, where do Barcelona need to strengthen?
Barcelona’s front line should be easy to pick, with Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele
flanking Memphis. But the fitness issues have meant that the latter’s partners
have chopped and changed. Barcelona needs to strengthen in this area,
but with very little in the way of funds, these choices are by default speculative. What is key
is that incoming players can fit the kind of pressing style that Xavi wants, drop off or
rotate positions across the attacking line to link with midfield, and score or create goals.
Some wide forwards who can play as striker fit the bill. Raheem Sterling has been linked
and has everything that Barcelona would want in a Pedro-style forward.
Christian Pulisic, facing huge competition at Chelsea, could provide a short-term loan option,
as could Antony Martial, who seems well down the pecking order at Manchester United.
A longer term, probably less expensive option, could be Lille’s Jonathan Ikone,
a dynamic and versatile attacker playing for a club in financial difficulty.
In terms of more conventional strikers, young Argentina forward Julian Alvarez at River Plate
could work as a bustling, Aguero-style player. He’s crafty in the box and a natural goal scorer,
but less versatile than some of our other picks. German wonderkid Karim Adeyemi is
heavily linked with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, but would be a brilliant gamble.
He’s already hit double figures for RB Salzburg this season, can play across the front line, and
is a thrilling ball carrier who finds dangerous positions. He’s also got the potential to be a
genuinely world class attacker, but Barcelona would face stiff competition for his signature
and he needs some work still before he’s ready for consistent, high level football.
Our picks, though, are ready for the highest level and show the kind of style and versatility
that Xavi wants. A less expensive option we like is Nice’s Amine Gouiri. As a creative forward,
Gouiri excels, linking play, carrying the ball superbly, and putting in a decent defensive shift
as a first line of pressing. He could score more, but Nice’s system usually sees him playing
off a more orthodox forward with supply his focus, so that is an area he could likely improve.
He’s also a fun player to watch: a dynamic, tricky dribbler capable of moments of real
flair - and with French football still a buyer’s market, Gouiri could be an affordable option.
The ideal choice, though, is Manchester City’s Ferran Torres.
He can play as a false nine or off the right wing and has shown a knack for cutting inside to score,
or making penetrating runs in behind defences at an angle to finish. He’s used to a Barcelona style
of football, both with Spain and having worked under Guardiola. He would be very expensive,
unless Barcelona can secure a loan, perhaps with an option to buy, but he’s tailormade for the job.
Across the defence, there is cover in most positions. On the left, though, there is
a significant reliance on Jordi Alba. While Alex Balde looks a fine prospect,
he’s not ready to start regularly and so Alba, 32-years-old, is Barcelona’s one real option.
He provides width and dovetails with the wide attackers
and he’s still a key Barcelona player. But he needs someone to back him up in the short-term
and challenge him for the next few seasons.
Valencia’s Jose Gaya would be a superb pick, perhaps eclipsing Alba sooner than rather,
but he would demand a huge fee and Valencia would be loath to sell a prize asset. Monaco’s Caio
Henrique provides the energy and attacking flair for the role, while RB Leipzig’s Angelino has been
one of Europe’s most productive attacking full backs for a few seasons. Another who has benefited
from working with Pep Guardiola is Oleksandr Zinchencko, who hasn’t featured regularly for
Manchester City this term but could provide an excellent short-term, loan option for Barcelona.
Our pick, though, is Benfica’s Alex Grimaldo. A La Masia graduate, Grimaldo is a dynamic ball
carrier, with an eye for an astute through ball as well as good crossing ability.
He can overlap or charge through open central spaces, as he did against Barcelona in a recent
Champions League game. He hasn’t hit the heights of his 2018/19 season, when he registered 12
assists, but at 26 is primed to provide excellent back up or even challenge Alba next season.