Barcelona have been left with a much shorter squad than they habitually deal with, and it is not yet clear how much power they will have to change that in January.
Already their midfield depth has been pushed, with injuries to Pedri and Frenkie de Jong leaving just Ilkay Gundogan, Oriol Romeu and Gavi as first-team midfielders, although it looks as if Fermin Lopez is set for more of a role.
Xavi Hernandez had requested another creative midfielder during the transfer market, and Giovani Lo Celso was one of the options identified for that role. The Argentine was believed to be surplus to requirements for Tottenham Hotspur, and was linked with Napoli, Real Betis and Villarreal, ahead of a potential loan move.
A recent report from Italy claimed that this would still be the case come the winter transfer window. Lo Celso is currently injured, but with Spurs on the up, MD say that his situation has changed. Lo Celso now wants to see if Ange Postecoglou can finally be the manager to trust him in North London, and will do his best to succeed.
With another three months to go before the winter transfer window, it is likely too early to be making decisive calls about most player’s situations, particularly if their game time is uncertain. However it looks as if Barcelona’s priority for the winter window will be a forward first and foremost.
