Barcelona’s midfield is set for the future
Barcelona’s acquisition of Frenkie de Jong adds another talented youngster to the midfield.
There have long been worries about the future of Barcelona’s midfield due to key players such as Xavi and Andres Iniesta leaving as well as Sergio Busquets being the wrong side of 30, but recent signings in this area, as well as the La Masia graduates coming through, suggest they have a promising future.
Frenkie de Jong is Barcelona’s latest signing although he won’t join the club until the summer which allows him to continue his impressive season for Ajax as they are in a thrilling league title race with PSV and face holders Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16. They have had to pay a high price for his services though as he cost the club an initial fee of €75 million plus €11 million in variables on a five-year deal.
This means he adds to an area that already contains Arthur, Carles Alena, Riqui Puig and Oriol Busquets. Sergi Samper is also another young midfielder at the club, but his contract runs out in the summer and he isn’t likely to receive an extension. De Jong is likely to be used as a central midfielder initially, but his versatility means he could challenge the younger Busquets for the defensive midfield role when the older Busquets moves on.
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The Dutchman’s arrival will certainly have an impact on the future of a number of players at the club. Denis Suarez looks likely to leave in either this window or the next and Rafinha will probably be joining him in the summer. There is also the question of where Philippe Coutinho will fit in because Busquets, Arthur and De Jong is a technically gifted, press-resistant midfield that suits Barcelona’s style perfectly, so he would have to be played further forward where he is in direct competition with Ousmane Dembele and Malcom.
Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal both have contracts running out in 2021 and they are 30 and 31 respectively so one of those is likely to be moved on within the next few windows in order to recoup some of their value.
Next. Official: Barcelona seal summer signing of Frenkie de Jong. dark
It’s essential that the development of the young midfielders isn’t hindered as they are the future of that position and this will come at the expense of the older players. De Jong’s arrival essentially means there are five of them competing for three positions. This is a healthy level of competition for a key area especially considering Barca are usually competing on three fronts.