Barcelona looked as if they were to build this season around two deadline day additions in mid-September, after thumping Real Betis and Royal Antwerp 5-0 on both occasions. Yet the futures of Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo seem far less certain now.
The pair made a major impact initially, but with few options to rest them, and the general drop off of the team, both of their Portuguese signings have been disappointing in recent weeks. Cancelo’s general level has fallen considerably, and while Felix has still provided some good moments, his inability to turn that into effective production has raised questions over his position too. Felix is on his worst ever goalscoring run to start a La Liga season.
Recently the club reassured Felix that their plan to keep him beyond this summer, as his intention. Yet according to Culemania, both are in question at the Blaugrana now. Already there were divided opinions when they were signed this summer, and given both would likely require a huge effort financially to persuade Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, there is now an acceptance that they will need to earn their place next season through performance, rather than being a foregone conclusion.
Some within the coaching staff believe that Barcelona would be better off investing whatever resource would be committed to ‘the Joaos’ should be put towards a pivot and a left winger next summer.
The biggest hope for Felix at the very least is that Barcelona President Joan Laporta has been one of his main advocates for some time, and agent Jorge Mendes holds significant sway in the Barcelona transfer strategy. For Cancelo, the fact that Barcelona are likely to struggle to find a quality alternative at right-back may also work in his favour, depending on how much Manchester City demand for his services.
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