Barcelona: Arthur’s transfer will be moved forwards to this summer
Barcelona will deal with Carles Alena’s injury by bringing forward the arrival of Arthur Melo.
According to AS, Arthur could be joining Barcelona this summer rather than in January, although this will the cost the club extra because it alters Gremio’s plans. This is related to Alena’s hamstring injury, which was picked up in the last game of Barcelona B’s season against Real Zaragoza.
They are two of the main options to take Andres Iniesta’s role in the team. Although they could play alongside each other or play separately next to Philippe Coutinho, with him in the left midfield role. The issue with Coutinho is that he has been at his best in an attacking midfield role. Playing deeper requires more discipline and means he can’t drive into any opening that is ahead of him because of how it affects the structure of the team by taking away a passing option in a key area.
Bringing Arthur in early would give him a better chance to settle in through the pre-season games rather than competitive games in January. Coutinho successfully acclimatised to the team after signing in January, but he is a lot more experienced. He also had to earn the trust of Ernesto Valverde, which led to some of the other members of the squad getting fatigued. Therefore, this suits both parties; Arthur gets to settle in during unimportant games while Valverde gets to properly judge him using the pre-season matches without risking the fitness of other players.
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How will this impact the team?
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Firstly, it makes Alena’s route into the first-team harder after his unfortunate injury. The plan was for him to have the first half of the season to prove his quality with Arthur providing him with competition after that point. However, he will now have to work his way into the first-team with Arthur a potential obstacle. Valverde does seem to rate him highly, so it’s probable that he will get plenty of opportunities once he returns.
Secondly, it increases the amount of midfield options available to Valverde. If Arthur and Alena are both able to successfully transition into the first-team then it should allow rotation during the busy stretches such as January when the Copa del Rey games pile up alongside the league fixtures.
Iniesta’s departure will be felt, but both of these players are much better equipped to deal with the physical demands than him. There is also Denis Suarez who could be given a bigger role in the team after glimpses of promise last season. However, his future is uncertain due to interest from other clubs and a lack of consistency.
Arthur moving early seems to be a decision that can only benefit the team as whole. There is a chance that he could be a flop, but this is highly unlikely. He seems well-equipped to deal with the technical and tactical demands of Barcelona’s system.