5 potential replacements for Ivan Rakitic at Barcelona

#2 Matteo Guendouzi

Guendouzi is being portrayed in the media for all the wrong reasons with a bust-up with Arteta  with regards to lack of concentration during training and was involved in a spat with Neal Maupay with regards to who earns more. But the former Lorient man is still highly rated earning his first chance to play for the French team and is being chased by the likes of Madrid,United,Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid

Matteo Guendouzi plays the role of the ‘number 8’ in Arsenal’s midfield as a box-to-box midfielder capable of making a pass out from anywhere on the field,forming  a strong partnership alongside the Swiss international, Granit Xhaka.

According to Mastermind,He averages 2 tackles and 2 interceptions per game and manages to keep possession of the ball. Guendouzi has been particularly successful with his scanning of the field, having a great understanding of what is around him and where and when he needs to transition into a defensive role.At times he will make rash decisions and mistime his tackles.

But he makes super smart decisions with the ball at his feet, and does so not only with elegance, but with energy and vibrancy too.He has been key in not slowing the game down for Arsenal, but speeding it up while completing nearly 89% of his passes this season.

#1 Tanguy Ndombele

Barcelona will be ready to take a risk for Tanguy Ndombele with the former Lyon man struggling for play time under Jose Mourinho. With Dany Levy being a smart businessman,Tottenham would be happy to structure a player-swap deal.

Ndombele was signed for £55 million in the summer of 2019 in what was seen as a coup, but the 23-year-old has not yet settled at Spurs under either Mauricio Pochettino or Mourinho.

But his combination of raw power and direct, yet accurate dribbling is so, so rare. The Frenchman is also a gifted passer of the ball. Simply put, he is a powerhouse who can set the world alight if he is in the right formation and team.

According to Football Analysis,boasting 5.65 dribbles per game with a 81.6% completion rate, he is a natural and dangerous dribbler. His neat dribbling, combined with his impressive strength allows him to be a serious threat whilst on the ball. Under pressure, nobody excels like Ndombele, due to his impressive balance and upper-body strength.With 52.22 passes per game at an impressive 89.1% success rate, he has the ability to cut open sides and manipulate possession. With 8.66 successful passes into the final third, the Frenchman is a progressive passer.

Ndombele has an impressive creative switch in him. His excellent positional and tactical understanding allows him to not only be a threat in transition but to be used higher up the pitch in the attacking phases.