Barcelona are still in search of a midfielder for next season and lots of names have been signalled but do the Catalans already have the solution to their midfield problem?
With the irreplaceable Xavi Hernandez leaving the club, Barcelona have been heavily linked with the signing of another midfielder to fill the space left by El Maestro.
Millions of names have been rumoured targets of the club with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Angel di Maria, Gerson Santos, Parejo, Ilkay Gundogan and Marco Verratti all labelled targets. However, the two major speculations right now are Atletico Madrid's Arda Turan and Juventus' Paul Pogba, the latter of whom some sources claim an agreement has been reached.
The question here is – Do Barca really need a midfielder? They have three daylight talents in their ranks – Sergi Samper, Rafinha Alcantara and Sergi Roberto.
Sergi Samper
Samper is still a Barcelona B player at the moment but is likely to be promoted to the first team for the next campaign. The star has Barcelona blood running through his veins.
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia in January 1995, Samper joined FC Barcelona's La Masia in 2001, aged 6, after having a successful trial. He was promoted to Barca B in 2013, and since then, has showed his qualities as a typical Blaugrana.
He is a defensive midfielder but can actually play in central midfield. His major ability is the ability to read and control the game with his passing an absolute wonder.
Samper is a genius and as a Barcelona player, there is no reason the Catalans should spend more than €100 million seeking another name elsewhere, he is just 20 years old and will fly the colours of the Azulgranas for a long time.
Rafinha Alcantara
This lad is underrated. His talent is just out of this world. He is the Neymar of midfielders. His ability to beat a player and execute good dinking runs is something rarely found elsewhere.
One thing that stands out about Rafa is his confidence. He does not seem to shiver playing alongside Xavi, Iniesta or Sergio Busquets. He has integrity on the pitch and Luis Enrique knows that.
Awarded LFP's La Liga revolution player of the 2013/2014 season, Rafinha is no doubt a talent for the future.
Sergi Roberto
A player with a scarlet and blue heart! Whenever he is on the pitch, you mistake him for Xavi at least 750 times. His movement is pure class and he has that major ability – Passing.
Sergi is also versatile, capable of playing anywhere in midfield. His composure is astonishing and he knows how to make that important tackle.
Why Spend So Much On What You Already Have?
The Board should answer this! They are already preparing for Iniesta's replacement and they feel Arda Turan is the best option. Iniesta is 30 and Turan will be 29 before he is able to play and spending €35 million for him would be ridiculous.
Arda is a magnificent footballer, the best turkish player but he arguably would not fit into Barca's system. Rafinha is Iniesta's heir not Arda Turan.
On Paul Pogba, the French youngster is a great player and everybody will like to have him on their team but €80 million transfer fee and €12 million per year (second highest earner) is not pleasing.
What Should Barcelona Do?
It's simple. Promote Samper to the first team to play second fiddle under Sergio Busquets.
Since there is a transfer ban, see how Rafinha and Sergi Roberto would fill in for Iniesta and Rakitic before thinking of signing Paul Pogba for such a huge fee. But as for Arda Turan, Barcelona don't need him but who knows, maybe Luis Enrique requested for his transfer and he may end up improving the team but Samper, Sergi and Rafa should be assessed.
At the end, all that is needed is for the treble-winning team to be improved. We are Barca!
