Joan Laporta has made some drastic changes already and now he is planning on bolstering Barcelona for the next season. With the transfer season upon us, not many would have thought that Barca would be one of the clubs with the most amount of additions to their squad however, Laporta has once again proven that he is a mastermind with a shrewd business tactic.
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Instead of going for top-quality players who will cost the clubs millions in transfer fees and wages, Laporta has decided that the club should take a gamble at the free agents market. Eric Garcia, Memphis Depay, and Sergio Aguero, all have been brought to the Catalan side on free transfers and these are some top-performing players who have the potential to do very well for the club.
While the likes of Depay and Garcia were already very closely linked with the Catalans prior to Laporta’s presidency, it was Laporta who at the end of the day completed the deals. The president still has quite a few plans for the season and Barcelona’s transfer season may be far from over. Players such as Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe may be unrealistic, however, they continue to be linked to the club.
However, since the club has already signed a few players and are also expecting a few players to return from injuries, the first team could have quite a different look than last season. Today we will be looking at the first possible line-up for the next season if all of Laporta’s transfers go through.
#1 Goalkeepers
Barcelona currently boasts one of the best goalkeepers in the world as their main goalkeeper. Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been the Catalan’s first choice for many years now and he has been named as one of the untouchables by Laporta. The Catalans were going for Gianluigi Donnarumma, as he would be without a contract at the end of June; however, Paris Saint-Germain has swooped in with a better offer, and Donnarumma has decided that he will accept PSG’s offer over Barcelona’s one. Thus the Catalans will be stuck with only one top keeper and with the departure of Neto, they will probably have to shift Inaki Pena to the main team.
#2 Defenders
With the addition of Eric Garcia to the squad, Barcelona’s defense is starting to look like a promising one. Pep Guardiola has already hailed Garcia as a huge talent and he even tried to keep the center-back at Manchester City. He failed, however, as Garcia was homesick and wanted a return to Catalunya, which was quite favorable for Barca as they were able to get him for free.
Alongside Garcia, Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza will also be fighting for game time while Clement Lenglet may be on his way out. The youngsters will need guidance on the field which is why Gerard Pique will most likely remain as a starter and the others could play on the basis of rotation and performance. The Blaugrana could also look into bringing in Aymeric Laporte, as he is tired of playing second fiddle to John Stones and Ruben Dias. That would be a huge boost for the Catalans however, due to financial restrictions, it may be tough to bring in the Manchester City star.
On the sides, Sergino Dest and Jordi Alba will keep their places as the Catalans were unable to find anyone to replace the aging left-back. The Catalans did bring back Emerson; however, it is unlikely that he will be started over the veteran. Dest replaced the underperforming Nelson Semedo last season and he had a decent first year with the Blaugrana. Meanwhile, Barca remain keen on signing a new left-back and Valencia captain Jose Gaya remains the favorite for the spot.
#3 Midfielders
One of the aspects of the game where Barcelona have no shortage of talent is in the midfield. The Catalans have a plethora of talented players in the midfield including the likes of Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Riqui Puig, Sergio Busquets, Ilaix Moriba, etc. The Catalans were trying for former Liverpool midfielder and Champions League winner, Gini Wijnaldum, however, the player decided to move to PSG instead as the Paris side were offering an amount which he just could not refuse.
Pedri and De Jong have become stable players in the midfield and there is no doubt that they both will definitely be starting most of the games. Busquets will also be in the mix quite often due to his experience and his talent, however, his age has been fighting against him and he is no longer the same player he used to be a few years ago. Moriba on the other hand will need to prove himself in the few starts he might get in order to become a regular in the first team.
In the case of the wingers, Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele could start, although the latter’s career at Barcelona is not very certain. Messi could also play on the right instead of Dembele which would allow Ronald Koeman to play two strikers upfront.
#4 Forwards
For the strikers, Laporta has brought in Depay and Aguero from Lyon and Manchester City respectively. Both the players arrived at Catalunya on free transfers and Koeman could not be happier about it. The coach had been begging for a striker last season and he had suggested Depay many times last season.
However, the Catalans could not afford the Dutch striker then and thus they waited until his contract with Lyon expired. It could be expected that Depay starts in the striker’s position with Messi alongside him although the number 10 will most likely be allowed to roam freely on the pitch.
Aguero will probably be used as an impact striker however, he could also be a starter as he is still a world-class striker and he knows exactly how to put the ball at the back of the net. Laporta was also very willing to bring in Haaland this season; however, even if that transfer does eventually happen, it will most probably not happen in this window.
#5 Substitutes
With a star-packed squad, many players who would usually slip right into any team, might find it hard to get game time next season. These players will probably be on the bench most of the time and Laporta will consider selling them if they do not have much of an impact from the bench.
Players such as Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann can bring the club a lot of money if the president decides to sell them. Although the French man had a good season with Barcelona, statistically, he was not very consistent throughout the year. Along with that, France had a below-average run in Euros and Griezmann only managed to score one goal in four matches.
Other players such as Puig, Pena, Moriba, Busquets, Mingueza, Samuel Umtiti, Martin Braithwaite, Miralem Pjanic, Trincao, and Sergi Roberto can all expect to start from the bench. Laporta will also be looking to sell players such as Umtiti and Braithwaite as they will not be adding too much to the team in terms of impact and performance.
Who do you want to see in the starting lineup?