Barcelona continue to monitor the progress of Ruben Vinagre
Ruben Vinagre is being watched by Barcelona in his first Premier League season at Wolves.
Wolves have surprised many with how quickly they have adapted to the Premier League and are on course to finish in seventh place, so essentially best of the rest as there is a sizeable gap in quality between the top six and the rest of the league. The connection with Jorge Mendes has helped a lot in that regard as they have been able to attract top Portuguese talent such as Ruben Neves, Rui Patricio and Ruben Vinagre.
Wolves signed Ruben Vinagre on loan from Monaco in July 2017 as part of their plan to build a strong Portuguese core at the club under the guidance of Nuno Santo, which got them promoted to the Premier League in their first season under the Portuguese manager. Vinagre was rewarded with a permanent transfer last summer and has battled with Jonny Castro for the left wing-back role over the course of the season.
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According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, Barcelona have followed the progress of Vinagre since he was 16-years-old and continue to send scouts to watch him play. However, Liverpool are also interested in the 20-year-old, with Jurgen Klopp making his admiration clear after Wolves’ 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup third round back in January. He only played for 14 minutes in Wolves’ disappointing FA Cup semi-final loss to Watford, so he had little chance to impress in the high-profile game.
Barcelona are clearly considering him as a long-term replacement for Jordi Alba, although the 30-year-old recently signed a new contract until 2024, so it will be a while before the left-back spot is available. Marc Cucurella and Juan Miranda are both homegrown candidates for the role, but neither has been convincing when given opportunities.
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Vinagre possesses the rapid pace needed to effectively replace Alba, who can cover large distances quickly if the team need to transition quickly or they need him to make his trademark runs in behind the defence. However, his attacking contributions need to improve as he only has one assist this season in 958 minutes across all competitions. Switching from a wing-back to a full-back role will also require significant adjustment due to the lack of extra defensive cover.
It’s likely to be a few seasons before the Catalans consider making a move and by that point, he could easily be at a bigger club. Vinagre is a talented youngster, but he is certainly still a work in progress.