Barcelona target Ferland Mendy as solution to left-back problem
Signing a left-back is one of the priorities for Barcelona in the January transfer window due to Juan Miranda’s inexperience.
Barcelona currently only have one senior left-back in Jordi Alba which is an issue for a team that is aiming to win multiple competitions. The Catalans are likely to play over 50 games this season across all competitions which is too much for one player. However, Juan Miranda isn’t quite ready for the senior team and Ernesto Valverde hasn’t been able to find an alternative solution so far.
Thomas Vermaelen was used in that position against Leganes but that didn’t work as Barcelona slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat, although the loss can’t be solely blamed on the Belgian due to the team as a whole being disappointing.
Alba’s role as a starter also affects the team because of his incompatibility with a winger on the same side as him such as Ousmane Dembele or Malcom. He often makes runs behind the defence on the left flank, which are a significant attacking weapon for the team, but he ends up occupying the same spaces as the winger. Him and Dembele both like to stay wide and end up getting in each other’s way. Neither is as effective at attacking central areas between the full-back/wing-back and the centre-back.
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According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are targeting Lyon’s Ferland Mendy as competition for the left-back spot. He’s only 23-year-old so he could be a long-term replacement for Alba, although this could have an effect on Miranda’s development. It’s an unfortunate side effect, but an injury to Alba could seriously derail Barcelona’s season so they can’t afford to take that risk.
Alba’s pace, and his ability to make use of it, is his main attacking weapon, however, he isn’t the most gifted on the ball as he often keeps it simple and attempts to find Lionel Messi with passes in the box. The Argentine’s sharp movement in the box and precise passing from deep is often the main reason why the one-two works so well.
Mendy is more versatile in that he is more comfortable coming inside while also being able to stay wide and fill a similar role to the 29-year-old. Therefore, he could work alongside a winger, which would give Valverde more options and take away some of their tactical rigidity. Having that tactical flexibility makes them less one-dimensional because they can become predictable in their current set-up if Messi isn’t at his best or one of the players isn’t able to create a moment of magic.
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The French defender is more physically dominating than Alba so teams wouldn’t be able to use the height difference for aerial balls into that area. However, it would be hard to convince Les Gones to let him go in the January transfer window because they would need to find a replacement and it would affect their plans. Nevertheless, it would be worth trying and Barcelona could always opt to come back in the summer if he continues his rapid development.