FC Barcelona never stops improving. It was only 48 hours ago that we won our 20th La Liga trophy and the media attention has already moved from the celebrations to designing next year’s squad. That’s the reason why FCB always seem a step ahead of our competitors: Good preparation, quick thinking and clear decisions.
This is how Guardiola plans to improve his squad this summer:
1. Sign Villa from Valencia CF. The Spanish striker has been Pep’s target for over 2 years now and was extremelly close to sign a contract season. The main problem was the lack of cooperation from the Valencia chairman, who didn’t want to give his best player away cheaply. The asking price is 50 million euros: Barça will offer 42 and hope to bring the price down. Having Villa in the squad will give Guardiola a fearless, speedy option upfront.
2. Bring Cesc Fabregas back. The Arsenal captain is close to a dream return to his home club and has already committed himself to a deal with FC Barcelona, saying: ‘If I leave Arsenal, Barça is my only option.’ As with Villa, his signing is just a matter of money: The Gunners would like 70 million euros for him, but FCB won’t offer more than 50 for a player that has publicly admitted that his years in England are coming to an end. Cesc is reportedly travelling back to London today for a face-to-face chat with his coach, Arsene Wenger. For me, Fabregas has to be our number one priority.
3. Give Ibrahimovic one last chance. If you look back at last year’s signings, only Maxwell has delivered as expected. Zlatan’s first half of the season was promising, but his performances since Christmas have been disappointing, to say the least. Guardiola may consider selling him if a substantial Premier League offer arrives – Remember that Mancini used to coach Ibra at Inter and now manages big-spenders Manchester City. Pep would also be happy to keep Ibrahimovic at the Nou Camp, but he will face fierce competition for a place in the starting line-up.
4. If Yaya Toure wants to leave, sell him. The Ivory Coast star is extremelly unhappy with his lack of playing time this season. In his eyes, he deserves to be considered a key man for whichever team he plays for. And that hasn’t happened in 2009/10 – In fact, he has lost ground to Barça’s youngster Sergio Busquets. Even though I wouldn’t like to see him go, I think Pep would accept offers around the 25 million euro mark for him.
5. Henry and Marquez, thank you and goodbye. The Frenchman has been a shadow of his own self this season and has been progressively replaced by Pedro Rodriguez. It is obvious that Thierry’s days as an FCB player are over: He will quite probably sign for the New York Red Bulls. As for Marquez, his fitness has dropped dramatically and, after seven very successful years, the Barça fans will be sad to say goodbye to one of the best defenders of the decade.
Are you happy with Guardiola’s decisions?
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