Barcelona’s right back struggles are well documented, and they were on show during Wednesday evening’s humbling defeat to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
Ronald Araujo has had much success against Vinicius Junior in the past at right back, but on this occasion, the Brazilian got the better of his Uruguayan counterpart to great effect, as he scored one and created another two for Karim Benzema.
Araujo wasn’t poor in himself, but rather, it is Xavi Hernandez’s reliance on him, which has come around because of the first team squad’s lack of naturals at right back.
It is a position that has plagued Barcelona for many years. Ever since Dani Alves departed the club for the first time in 2016, they have struggled to replace him. The likes of Nelson Semedo, Aleix Vidal and Sergino Dest have joined in recent years, and subsequently failed to make the position their own.
Xavi will want to rectify the situation this summer, but Barcelona’s financial issues could prevent any sort of transfer. However, they are still making moves, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that club officials have met with Jeremie Frimpong’s agent over a possible summer move.
However, Barcelona aren’t the only club interested, with Manchester United and Bayern Munich also looking to sign the Bayer Leverkusen defender, which could complicate the Blaugrana’s pursuit.
In terms of an attacking right back, there aren’t many better players in European football than Frimpong, and his statistics are outrageous. Aged just 22, he has established himself as one of the most exciting players in the position in recent years, He is currently thriving at Leverkusen under former Real Madrid player Xabi Alonso.
Frimpong would tick lots of boxes for Barcelona. He has bags of potential, and he could grow as he plays in the team. Essentially, he can be a right back version of Alejandro Balde. Although this could affect their defensive performance, which has been exemplary for the most part this season, Barcelona would hope that the attacking output would make up for it.
There are definitely questions over his defensive ability, but being so young, there is plenty of time for him to improve, and he should be able to once he joins a club such as Barcelona.
Essentially, it is a signing that makes sense for Barcelona, but their financial restrictions mean that a deal is unlikely this summer. With Man Utd and Bayern Munich waiting in the wings, it looks like being an impossible dream.
