Jordi Alba has signed a new contract with Barcelona after months of speculation.
The Barcelona board have secured the future of another key player as Jordi Alba has signed a new contract which keeps him at the club until 2024. His previous deal was set to run out in 2020 so they have managed to avoid a potentially awkward situation in the summer when Alba would have held the leverage due to that being the last chance for the Catalans to get a large transfer fee for him. A 500 million euros release clause ensures the club are able to decide when he leaves.
Keeping him for the next few years was pivotal due to his outstanding attacking contributions as a defender — two goals and 14 assists this season — and his strong understanding with the attackers such as Lionel Messi. They have combined together for eight goals across all competitions as the Argentine is able to effectively find his lung-busting runs behind the defence and Alba usually has the composure to play him back in or have a shot himself.
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Neither Juan Miranda or Marc Cucurella are ready to be the starter in the left-back position, so Alba’s extension should allow them time to develop assuming the board opts to keep both of them at the club. However, replacing Alba will be a tough proposition as he has mastered the balancing of his defensive and attacking responsibilities with his pace playing a key part in that as he can cover large distances quickly which is especially useful in the transition phases.
Letting Alba go in the summer would have forced the club to sign someone externally which would have been far from ideal to it being a specialist position and Barcelona’s style is unique. It would also have interfered with the development of Miranda and Cucurella. Therefore, keeping him at the club was a smart move in the long-term and at the very least puts off the issue of replacing him for a few more seasons so they can focus on other areas.