Before signing players who will add to the club’s roster, Barcelona boss Quique Setien is looking for names he could offload in the summer.
Quique Setien’s appointment as the Barcelona head coach has returned some positive vibes into the fanbase as well as the dressing room, and there was even more reason for optimism after the Catalans’ 1-0 win over Granada after an overall great performance from the team just days after a managerial change.
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The former Real Betis manager is expected to be given a handsome budget in the summer to replace some of his obsolete and ageing players, while he will also look to get rid of some which do not meet his requirements. With that said, there are as many as seven players whose progresses would be monitored, El Desmarque has claimed.
From the defensive department, Nelson Semedo, Moussa Wague and Junior Firpo are the full backs who are expected to be on the coach’s closer radar. The three have been underperformers by a long way as compared to their competitors, as has Samuel Umtiti, who is almost certainly going to leave the club during the summer.
Amongst the midfielders, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal are thought to be pushing for exits in January itself but may end up staying following Quique Setien’s appointment to see how things do. Nevertheless, the manager will also keep a close eye on the duo to see if their futures lie within the Camp Nou or outside it.
Ousmane Dembele is the only forward who is the subject of his manager’s eagle-eyed monitoring. The Frenchman’s off-field lifestyle has come under scrutiny quite often and if Setien does not see a change in Dembele’s attitude over the upcoming weeks, then he may well be offloaded during the summer to another club.
Barca have some breathing room after their hard earned win against Granada now due to the fairly easy trip to Ibiza as part of their Copa del Rey clash. However, next weekend they will visit the Mestalla, one of the league’s most difficult grounds and also a place where they will be tested to their maximum for the first time under their new boss.
What are your early predictions for the trip to Valencia by looking at the team against Granada?