After a campaign in which Barcelona won 50 games in a 60 game season, Barcelona executives are tasked with the challenge of improving a team which, quite frankly does not need much improvement.
Luis Enrique’s main priority this transfer window is to bring in a “Midfield Organizer”. The clubs first choice is Ilkay Gundogan. His contract is set to expire in 2016 with Borussia Dortmund, as a result his club is keen on finding a new home for the midfielder this summer in fear of losing him on a free transfer next year.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
With the loss of Xavi to Al-Sadd SC, Barcelona is in search of that creative midfielder type of player. Gundogan slots in perfectly at that spot being characterized as the perfect midfielder with the hybrid of being a true number 10 and a deep-lying playmaker.
Despite reports saying that Gundogan has already completed medical tests for the Blaugrana, the only obstacle that I can see deterring this transfer would be the player’s distress in having to sit until January.
The most likely of things to happen this summer has to be the arrival of Paul Pogba, in my opinion. The 2013 Golden Boy award winner is being sought after by most of Europe’s super clubs, Manchester City, PSG, Real Madrid, and Barcelona.
Luis Enrique has authorized the move for the lanky midfielder as he has gone on record saying he is one of few players that can immediately improve the team.
Zinedine Zidane, currently coaching Real Madrid’s B team, had a few choice words about his compatriot, “Maybe we are talking about Pogba a bit too much, but if he can keep up his current development he can become one of the best players ever.”
Such high regard for a player that is only 22 years old is why Barcelona should break the bank to acquire this phenomenon. Pogba’s rare physical gifts is one of the few things that make scouts jittery with excitement, pair his 6’2 frame along with his quickness and awe-inspiring dribbling movements Pogba is a talent that is hard to pass up.
The young Frenchman would fit perfectly in the Barcelona midfield. With Andres Iniesta getting up there in age, Pogba would be his ideal replacement. His uncanny ability to deliver glittering balls across the midfield while take long strides like a prancing gazelle will set up multiple opportunities to assist the MSN trident. You can’t forget the rocket of a shot this young man has either.
Pogba is a bullet ready to explode at any moment. To make matters even more interesting, he recently told the media “Playing with Messi would be a dream come true. He’s the best player in the world. I love watching Barcelona play.”
If neither of these two players find themselves playing in front of 100,000 cules next January, Monaco midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia would be the third option at this moment in time. Kondogbia is the ideal plan B in the scenario that Barcelona gets out bid by billionaire owners such as Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Manchester City and Nasser Al-Khelaifi from PSG.
However, unless Kondogbia transforms his game into more of a true midfielder rather than a defensive midfielder I just don’t see how this transfer would make sense. Sergio Busquets has that position in a strangle hold for years to come and it would seem like Kondogbia would just be lost in the pecking order the same way Alexandre Song has.
Even though the transfer ban puts Barcelona behind the eight ball, the opportunity to be a part of one of the world’s biggest clubs and playing alongside Lionel Messi at the peak of his career should be motivation enough to join Barcelona.
