Barcelona receive tempting offer for Paulinho
Paulinho’s successful first season with Barcelona has attracted potential suitors.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have received an offer for Paulinho which is bigger than the £36.4m they spent on him, although they didn’t reveal who it was specifically aside from it being a big club.
The Brazilian only joined from Guangzhou Evergrande last summer as Ernesto Valverde wanted to bring in a midfielder with a different skillset to what the Catalans had. He offered more of a box-to-box threat with his supporting runs being key. Paulinho scored nine times and assisted twice over all competitions, which shows how much of an attacking threat he was.
Ernesto Valverde’s use of a 4-4-2 formation got the best out of him because he was able to play as a wide midfielder, so he made driving runs when the team was in possession. However, Barcelona are likely to move back to the traditional 4-3-3 ahead of next season due to how it brings the best out of their positional play style.
Positional discipline was one of Paulinho’s weaker areas, which affected the team when he was used as one of the central midfielders. He lacked the understanding of the system that players such as Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets possess. Therefore, he wasn’t progressive enough with his passing and sometimes vacated key areas which limited passing options.
Should Barcelona sell him?
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He has performed well for the club over the past year, but this is the perfect opportunity to sell him. Paulinho turns 30 at the end of the month, so he only has a few years left in him at his peak. They can get a profit, in terms of transfer fees, on a player who was only a short-term fix and offers little in the long-term.
His transfer fee could contribute towards bringing Barca back to their roots by improving the midfield. Arthur is set to join, but another midfielder such as Thiago or Frenkie de Jong should be a priority in order to ensure that they can control games and provide consistent service to Lionel Messi and the forwards.
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The amount of midfielders needs to be cut down because there isn’t a clear pathway to the first-team for La Masia graduates such as Carles Alena. Barcelona also need to cut down the wage bill ahead of next season. Players such as Andre Gomes and Rafinha are likely to leave and Andres Iniesta has moved on, so this will be a summer of change for the club.