This summer has seen the emergence of 2 potential successors to Suárez
The club has been aggressively seeking a successor to Luis Suárez, especially after his physical deterioration last season. Although ‘El Pistolero’ scored many goals last season, he failed to perform up to the expected standards and his success was largely based on Lionel Messi.
The management had earmarked Antoine Griezmann as the attacking reinforcement for the summer. But he did not want to leave Atlético, and created a long transfer saga in order to express that and thus, prevented the management from giving time to find an adequate alternative.
But now, two potential successors to Suárez has emerged. They are both young, and while one would require much maturation and development, the other might be able to fill the shoes of the Uruguayan great by the end of the season.
Abel Ruiz has been showing great promise in recent months. He was key as the Juvenil A cruised to a UEFA Youth League victory, and also did well for Barcelona B. But his standout performances have always been for the Spain youth teams.
He has played at three levels in the Spain setup, scoring a total of 37 goals in 44 appearances. Ruiz has a great future, and if he can be molded into the player that the club requires by Xavi García Pimienta, he can be the true successor to Luis Suárez. But this process will take at least two years.
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The other option is Anthony Martial. The 22-year old forward is unhappy at Manchester United after failing to make it into Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the World Cup. He was a favourite of Louis van Gaal, but is out of favour with current boss José Mourinho.
Last season, Martial made 34 appearances in all competitions for United, but only 19 of them were starts. And despite scoring 9 goals and providing 5 assists, he lost out to Alexis Sánchez for a first-team spot when the Chilean joined from Arsenal in January.
The youngster is looking for a way out of Old Trafford, and Barcelona might look to oblige him. The only problem is, he will need to adapt extensively in order to fit in at the Camp Nou. Martial has usually operated as a left winger, but he will need to act as a centre forward under Valverde.
But if he manages to adapt properly, Anthony Martial might turn out to be a real gem. His pace, technical ability and finishing make him a finished product, but the club will need to shell out at least €80 million in order to sign him.
The management should weigh up both these options, and decide on a final one. But the club cannot ignore this completely, with Luis Suárez not getting any younger.