Arthur Melo officially joins Barcelona
The 21-year-old Brazilian is the first signing of the summer as the Catalans aim to build on last season’s domestic double.
Arthur has joined Barcelona from Brazilian side Gremio for €31 million and €9 million in variables. He has signed a six-year contract with a €400 million release clause, which is a significant statement of intent from the club.
The transfer was originally planned for the 2019 January window, with an agreement reached in March this year. However, Barcelona had an option to bring it forward which they enacted, and Paulinho has left the club in order to free up a non-EU spot for the youngster.
He may not slot into the midfield straightaway, but it’s likely that he will be in the first-team by the end of the season. Adjusting to Barcelona’s style and the standards that the fans demand can be tough as seen by Andre Gomes’ struggles. However, Arthur has all the tools to thrive in Barcelona’s possession-based 4-3-3 set-up.
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Gremio’s manager Renato Portaluppi often utilised him as a deep-lying playmaker in a midfield two. This has been successful because Gremio have won the Copa de Brasil and Copa Libertadores over the last few seasons, which are basically the Brazilian cup and South American Champions League respectively.
Arthur possesses vision, positional intelligence, composure on the ball as well as a strong range of passing and being comfortable at carrying the ball forwards when needed. This means he is a useful asset for breaking down teams, especially low blocks, as well as being able to play through a high press.
His skillset is what Barca should have been targeting ever since Xavi left in 2015 because Barcelona need to control games in order to thrive and have long-term sustainability in terms of results. Without this, their over-reliance on Lionel Messi is made obvious during tough moments such as the 3-0 loss to Roma last season.
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Arthur’s arrival provides Ernesto Valverde with some interesting options. He is good enough to gradually transition into a first-team place as the season goes on. However, the question is whether he will fill Iniesta’s old role or move across to take Ivan Rakitic’s place, assuming that Valverde switches to a 4-3-3. Arthur playing in the left midfield spot means that Philippe Coutinho could be used as part of the front three. It will be interesting to see what Valverde’s favoured line-up is next season.