Lionel Messi and Quique Setien agree on five new Barcelona signings
Lionel Messi and Quique Setien seem to be getting along very well right from the off and have reportedly agreed to refurbish Barcelona with new arrivals.
Barcelona announced that they had sacked Ernesto Valverde and replaced him with former Real Betis manager Quique Setien over the course of the week. The 61 year old’s task is to help the Catalans win the three tournaments they are contesting at the moment and his first challenge comes against Granada in La Liga on Sunday.
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Granada managed to grab all three points against the Blaugrana, courtesy of a 2-0 win. While the newly promoted league side will be hoping for similar exploits in the Camp Nou, Barca certainly have home advantage by their side in addition to that of a fresh face in the dugout. Setien will be without Luis Suarez, however.
Diario GOL has claimed that even ahead of his first bout as the Barcelona boss, Quique Setien has agreed to sign five players in the summer along with Lionel Messi and will pass on his request to the board. The Blaugrana have a pretty good squad, but there are improvements necessary in some departments to ensure consistent results.
As far as the defensive third is concerned, there will most likely be two signings, which are still unknown. But what is clear is that Setien is not a big fan of the current right backs at his disposal in Sergi Roberto and Nelson Semedo, meaning a signing of a full back will be made. Samuel Umtiti is also looking set for a exit, and a centre back could be signed as well.
From the midfielders, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal are being tipped for departures at the end of this season. With two midfielders of great quality leaving the club, it is imperative that somebody is signed and Setien has asked the board to compete against Real Madrid for the signatures of Napoli superstar Fabian Ruiz.
Quique Setien and Fabian Ruiz have known each other from their Real Betis days, so the Blaugrana may have the edge over their arch rivals over his signing. However, reports earlier claimed that the Spaniard found Real Madrid’s project more interesting than that of Barca’s and is also keen on playing under Zinedine Zidane’s managerial expertise.
In the attacking department, the new Barca coach has emphasized the need for a striker given Luis Suarez’s age, making Lautaro Martinez the primary contender for the spot. With Ousmane Dembele having lost trust and Antoine Griezmann underperforming, Setien has asked for a left winger too which may very well be former player Neymar.
Next. Lionel Messi wants one of Man City's best players at Barca. dark
Which all players do you think would be arriving at the Camp Nou during the summer?