In: Ilkay Gundogan (free, Manchester City), Inigo Martinez (free, Athletic Club), Oriol Romeu (Girona)
Loan returns: Ez Abde (Osasuna), Clement Lenglet (Tottenham), Sergino Dest (Milan)
Out: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Francisco Trincao (Sporting CP), Sergio Busquets (free, Inter Miami), Nico Gonzalez (Porto), Alex Collado and Chadi Riad (Real Betis), Jordi Alba (free, Inter Miami), Arnau Tenas (free, Paris Saint-Germain), Samuel Umtiti (free, Lille), Julian Araujo (loan, Las Palmas), Estanis Pedrola (loan, Sampdoria), Alex Valle (loan, Levante), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Franck Kessie (Al Ahli), Pablo Torre (loan, Girona)
Summary so far: Ilkay Gundogan is undoubtedly a major coup for Barcelona. There’s an argument, certainly based on last season, that he may well be their best player when the season starts, and certainly has to be regarded as their best midfielder. He’s also an interesting addition, given he almost certainly starts, but even with four midfielders in place, it isn’t yet clear where. As things stand, Barcelona have no Sergio Busquets replacement, and yet Xavi Hernandez has spoken of Gundogan and de Jong as players who are better with freedom to move forward. If they play where they are best, it likely leaves Gavi on the bench.
Oriol Romeu and Inigo Martinez are both good, cheap signings. Romeu in theory forms a nice partnership with Frenkie de Jong, dovetailing nicely with the latter more offensive than the other. Yet Romeu’s inclusion likely excludes Gavi, and if, as preseason suggests, Xavi wants to return to a 4-3-3, then two players will have to drop out. These are, at least, some of the few ‘good headaches’ that Xavi has. Martinez could provide interesting competition in central defence, but the likelihood is that he is the best competition in the division rather than a starter.
The loss of Sergio Busquets will no doubt be felt keenly, and Jordi Alba already has a replacement, but few will argue that it was not time for a new era. Even if Barcelona cannot find a good solution to the exit of Busquets, they still have good players in midfield, and are better off going through those growing pains and evolving rather than limiting their development within the limitations that Busquets had. As much as his contribution on the field, his leadership will be missed, but replacing that with the captain of the Champions League winners is about as good as Xavi could have hoped for.
Franck Kessie’s departure is the right decision – weighing his contribution against his cost, and the decreasing opportunities he was likely to get with the arrival of Gundogan and Romeu. That said, only Romeu has real ballast in the midfield now. If Barcelona were moving the ball quickly and slicing through defences that isn’t so important, but we’re yet to see that. Kessie wasn’t key last season, but he was crucial in two Clasicos, which is not to be sniffed at.
Samuel Umtiti was excellent until injuries struck him down, but his exit was long overdue for both. Of the six returning loanees, only Ez Abde appears to hold realistic hope of impacting Barcelona’s season, but if the likes of Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Raphinha all remain at the club, he will have to fight his way through them for minutes. Based on last season, that might not be too much of an issue for the Moroccan livewire, but there is a danger that none of Fati, Torres or Abde get the necessary continuity to get into rhythm.
Ousmane Dembele apparently surprised himself with his move to Paris Saint-Germain, which is simultaneously disastrous and not. None of Barcelona’s other forwards can do what he can, but also he was unreliable and the money will allow them to address key needs. In Raphinha and Ferran, they have readymade replacements, just they aren’t as good. More than on the pitch, Dembele was the totem of Xavi’s progress, and now his side should become more rounded but less dangerous – the pressure is on the coach to find a more cohesive attack now.
The likes of Collado, Nico and Riad have all been allowed to leave with varying degrees of future profit or buyback included, and while they might have like more money for them, they all have a greater chance of success away from Montjuic this season. Julian Araujo is on loan to see if he actually is good enough long-term.
Currently, you would say that the temptation for Xavi, perhaps against his better nature, is to maintain the four midfielders and favour control above all else. After a season of many tight victories though, the young coach will have to factor in the drop in hunger following success, and come up with a few new solutions.
The most critical you can be is with the lack of departures. From there stems the lack of alternative reinforcements, including Lionel Messi no less, and so success this transfer window depends first on negotiating good fees for the players they have. The Argentine’s exit from European football served to do little more than illustrate that this summer may well be harder work than last for Barcelona. Is it fair to say that his arrival might have improved Barcelona, but stilted their development?
Messi would have provided a jump in quality, but completely altered their shape, and repotted all of their growing saplings. His impact is such that once again the Blaugrana would be in a short-term ‘win now’ mode – you can’t gradually fade Messi out and keep the same system. Last season they won La Liga but looked so dramatically far away from the Champions League, perhaps the ‘loss’ of his signing isn’t so dramatic. He might have helped guide the youngsters, but he also would have changed the entire direction of the team.
Key Need: It would be remiss not to mention the right-back spot still as a problem position. The more conservative play of Kounde did balance them nicely last season – with a fourth midfielder in, and Alejandro Balde streaming forward down the left instead of a winger. Yet his play in the final months of the season betrayed the fact that he was neither comfortable nor content out there near the touchline. A keen reminder that while he occupied the position last season, the name plate on the office door is still blank. It might well be him next season, he will probably play well, but that doesn’t mean it can be taken off Mateu Alemany’s long to-do list.
The conundrum for Xavi and Alemany probably depends on the market. Do you invest a significant portion of your resources in the right-back position, when in all likelihood anyone you can afford may not be better than Kounde? If, and only if, Barcelona can bring in an upgrade, then any money should be spent there. Ronald Araujo started the season out there, and maybe Xavi will actually use him there if they don’t sign anyone, but perhaps it is partly a message to the board that Julian Araujo was never enough.
Beneath the Surface: Nothing goes under the radar at Barcelona these days, as information, some of it accurate, some of it less so, flows out of Camp Nou faster than the Ebro. Yet their pursuit of Vitor Roque is symptomatic of a wider problem. Unless Robert Lewandowski is scoring, Barcelona are struggling. Ansu was Barcelona’s second-top La Liga scorer last season, something that has been used to argue his case for more minutes, but just as easily illustrates their significant struggles in the department.
The talk is that they want 18-year-old talent Roque to join this summer if possible, and by January at the latest. Ansu, regardless of the goals he scored, looked less than reliable, Torres was going through purgatory in front of goal, and neither looked assured as a number nine. Raphinha came up with some important strikes, as did Ousmane Dembele, but from October onwards Barcelona lacked goal threat outside of the Polish striker.
To increase that threat, an alternative both in terms of resting Lewandowski and perhaps even someone to play with him in certain situations, Roque would add a new dimension to Xavi’s squad. If, as Athletico Paranaense won’t leave before January, then Xavi will need to fashion a forward out of Ferran or Ansu. Many commented that Barcelona’s defensive numbers were deceptive last season, and while they were good, they cannot afford to rely on them being historically so this campaign. If Roque does not arrive until January, without a preseason, coming into a side midway through the campaign, it will likely be late February at the latest before Lewandowski can rest comfortably.
Alemany, Xavi and Deco are charged with the solution, but that is a problem.
Pls bring joao cancelo for us, for rightback position.