Does Jeison Murillo have a long-term future at Barcelona?

Barcelona favoured Jeison Murillo to La Masia graduate Chumi

Jeison Murillo’s loan signing is the perfect indication of the gradual movement away from the promotion of La Masia graduates to the first-team. But does the 25-year old Colombian centre-back have a long-term future at Barcelona?

After from the youth academy of Colombian giants Deportivo Cali, Murillo moved to Udinese, where he was immediately loaned out to Granada, where he played in the B team. His transfer to Granada was made permanent, and he was subsequently loaned out to Cádiz and Las Palmas.

Murillo made 53 appearances for Granada before moving back to the Serie A in a €10 million transfer to Inter Milan. He made 69 appearances in all competitions before returning to Spain in a loan move to Valencia, because of Inter’s decision to sign Milan Škriniar from Sampdoria.

His loan was made permanent, but Murillo has struggled to make an impact this season. He has made an appearance apiece in the three major competitions, the La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. Then, he joined Barcelona on loan for half a season.

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While the Colombia international is a very good passer of the ball and has good tackling skills, he has a violent streak and a tendency to receive bookings easily. He has made 184 appearances in all competitions throughout his club career, picking up 40 yellow cards and 8 red cards.

It roughly translates to a booking every four games, which is not a good sign. But Murillo does have a very strong aerial presence, winning an average of 2.5 aerial duels in his career till date. He is also an experienced international, making 27 appearances for the Colombian national team.

He was one of the best defenders in the 2015 Copa América, and won an award for ‘Best Young Player’. Murillo has a lot of potential, and much of it is yet to be realised because of his lack of concentration on the pitch.

But if Ernesto Valverde can extract some focused performances from the 25-year old Colombian defender, he has a chance of making the move to Barcelona permanent, as is his wish. But the club should reject the opportunity to sign him, regardless of his performances.

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Chumi should be given some more time to mature, and he has the ability to gain promotion to the first-team squad on a permanent basis at the end of the season. Being a La Masia graduate, he deserves an opportunity which is being currently denied to him.