Who would be the best left-back signing for Barcelona?
Barcelona are considering a wide range of players for the backup to Jordi Alba
Jordi Alba has emerged as one of the most members of Ernesto Valverde’s squad. As a result, Barcelona have started panicking when it comes to finding a successor for the former Valencia man. But who is the ideal player for that role?
The most high-profile player being considered is Atlético’s Filipe Luís. He would be a free agent by the end of the season, and is very experienced. But the Brazil international would only be a short-term solution, leaving the future of that position uncertain.
Of course, Luís could pave the way for a player like Marc Cucurella or Juan Miranda to enter the first-team but he would start to decline drastically before that possibility arises. One of the lesser-known players on the shortlist is Rayo Vallecano’s Álex Moreno.
The 25-year old Spaniard spent a year at La Masia, and has been a revelation this season. He has caught the eye of assistant technical secretary Ramón Planes, who is advocating his signing. Moreno is quite a decent option, and could act as backup for a long time.
But Moreno doesn’t have huge potential for growth, possibly hindering any chance of getting into the team. But if Barça are planning to introduce either Cucurella or Miranda into the first-team as successor to Jordi Alba, Álex Moreno is the perfect player to go for.
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But Moreno’s namesake at Liverpool, Alberto Moreno, is not a good option. He has been frozen out of the squad by Jürgen Klopp, and has been ordinary in his time at Liverpool. Watford’s Ruben Vinagre is also too inexperienced for a move to a club like Barça.
On the other hand, Nicolás Tagliafico is an excellent option. He has the experience, the ability and the caliber to fit in at Barça with ease. Tagliafico has also played alongside Leo Messi. But currently, Barça are far behind in the race for his signature.
Arsenal are the favourites to sign the Argentina international, as Atlético trail the Gunners. Ferland Mendy is another player who has been scouted extensively, but Ernesto Valverde will not have been impressed by his performance against Barça in the Champions League.
The last option is the most impressive, as he has already shown his ability against Barça this season. Real Betis’ Junior Firpo was instrumental in the 4-3 victory over Barça early on in the season, and his performances have attracted interest from Real Madrid too.
Firpo has enormous potential, and his natural attacking tendency makes him a good successor to Jordi Alba. He has a lot of pace, and can phase into attacking mode quickly after passing the ball out of defence.
Due to widespread interest in him, Junior Firpo is not an easy player to sign. But Barça should still go after him, if the move to sign Tagliafico ends up being a failure.