5 Alternate Replacements For Andres Iniesta

Barcelona skipper Andres Iniesta, the 33-year old Spanish maestro, who joined the club's famed La Masia academy as a 12-year ends a two-decade-long relationship with his boyhood club. He will leave the club with 32 trophies after having made over 670 appearances in all the competitions.

The legendary figure is one of the most admired football players on the planet as he is one of a very select few to have been applauded at the Santiago Bernabeu. Though Don Andres hasn't announced his next destination yet, he stated that he will not be able to play against Barcelona, which means that he's most likely to move outside of Europe, with US and China touted to be the possible locations.

Iniesta has mesmerised the world with his talent over the past decade. The twinkle-toed midfielder was the heartbeat of the famed Barcelona team along with close friend Xavi. He made everything look easy on the eye, as his precise passing, ball control made him almost impossible to stop.

Iniesta will leave as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation and though Barca already signed Philippe Coutinho as a possible replacement, the club will still need someone to fill into Iniesta's considerably large shoes as the current midfield setup lacks the quality needed to challenge for the UCL title again.

Here is a look at some very good midfielders capable of replacing the great man:

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Available on free transfer: Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Wilshere has rediscovered his form this season after battling numerous injuries

Jack Wilshere has been extremely unfortunate with injuries throughout his career. The English midfielder, as a 19-year old just beginning his football career, dominated the famed duo of Xavi and Andres Iniesta at their prime in a shock 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.

This put him on the radar of Barcelona, only for a cycle of devastating injuries to rock his progress.

Wilshere is a complete midfielder, who can breeze past defenders with relative ease. Not only is he good at recycling the ball, but he is also capable of playing that killer pass. He's also got a sweet left foot and he's capable of the odd-goal.

This is proof that Wilshere could step into Iniesta boots, as he's also familiar with the tiki-taka style that Barca employ as it's very similar to Arsenal's playing style. His defensive game and positional awareness have also improved with age.

It is due to his resilience and the unique gifts that he possesses that every time you think the England International is done, he forces his way back into contention. He began this season on the fringes of the Arsenal squad but a campaign that has seen him stay injury-free has seen him get back to the level he displayed against Barcelona all those years ago.

It's stunning the Arsenal number 10 hasn't been offered a contract yet by Arsenal, so he's available for free in the summer. Wilshere might now reject a contract if Barcelona do indeed, come calling.

#5 Dele Alli (Tottenham Hostpur)

Dele Alli is one of the best u-23 players in the world in the attacking midfield position

Dele Alli was signed by Tottenham from MK Dons in the winter of 2015 and was immediately sent back on loan to complete the season at his former club. In his first season in the Premier League with Spurs, he scored 10 goals and providing 9 assists for his teammates.

In his second season, he went on to better that mark as he scored 18 goals and provided 7 assists in a remarkable campaign in which the Spurs finished runners-up.

He ended each of his first two seasons at the club as the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Despite enduring a quiet season by his high standards, Alli has scored 8 and assisted a further 10 goals. The attacking midfielder's understanding with fellow attacking midfielders Son and Eriksen is an absolute treat to watch and the trio together provide the ammunition for Harry Kane.

It's remarkable to think that the Englishman is still just 22 years old and he's already achieved so much at this young age. Though the big boys like Barcelona are yet to focus their attention on Alli, a big and enticing offer could convince Daniel Levy to sell one of their prized assets.

Barcelona over the past few years have grown incredibly dependent on Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to provide them with the ammunition up-front. The addition of Alli would thus provide the Catalan club with important goals from midfield. Alli is a clever player who finds himself in good goal-scoring positions and his presence would add a lot of firepower to a midfield lacking the presence of maestros Xavi and Iniesta.

#4 Ander Herrera (Manchester United)

Herrera might decide to make a move back to Spain

Ander Herrera, is a highly technical player who possesses special qualities that make him a value addition in big matches. He is often referred to as 'the man who kept Hazard in his pocket'.

Ander Herrera had a fantastic 2016-17 season and rightfully received the 'Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year' award for being the Best Manchester United player.

Despite this, the Spaniard had a stop-start season in 2017-18 as he was second choice behind the likes of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard and he was also pushed behind Scott McTominay for a while. With Carrick's retirement, United might look to sign another mid-fielder and this could push Herrera further back.

This has led to doubts in Herrera's mind and he might decide to make a move back to his native Spain, and this might tempt Barcelona to get in a Spanish player into their squad.

Herrera could provide energy to a Barcelona mid-field that is lacking the dynamism and energy. If he is used as a player off the bench, he will most certainly add quality and value, something that was missing off Barca's bench this season.

Herrera is a versatile player, capable of playing in Sergio Busquets' position or even further forward as a left central midfielder like Iniesta. It would be ideal to replace Iniesta with a Spaniard, but does the man himself want a move to Camp Nou?

#3 Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich)

Thiago is a player Barcelona regret selling

Thiago Alcántara joined Bayern Munich from Barcelona in the summer of 2013, frustrated due to the lack of first-team opportunities. Once considered to be the next big thing at Barcelona, his move to Allianz Arena for just €25 million is one of Barcelona's worst sales in this decade.

Just like Andres Iniesta, Thiago is a technically gifted playmaker, with exceptional dribbling skills and passing range. He is calm and composed on the ball and he's capable of slowing the game down to the pace that he desires. He can operate as a central or an attacking midfielder and can fit in perfectly in the midfield 3. The Spaniard is one of the key players in the relentless Bayern engine.

The 26-year old La Masia graduate is just the kind of player the Catalan club would want to replace Andres Iniesta with as he is fully aware of the Barcelona style of play. He has also hinted that he could consider moving back to Spain, but Bayern would demand a substantial fee for a player who Barcelona wants to re-sign.

If Thiago does indicate in the summer that he favours a move back to Camp Nou, Barcelona should jump at the opportunity to bring back one of their own gems.

#2 Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain)

Marco Verratti has been linked with a move to Barcelona for a long time

The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder is one of the best young midfielders around in the world and he's been touted to be the one to play the Andrea Pirlo-role for the Italian national team. He is a creative, hardworking and technically gifted playmaker. Verratti is one of those players who can dominate the match by dictating the tempo and speed of the game.

The Italian is good at playing the quick, short passes to get the game moving but he's also capable of picking out long balls to teammates with precision. He's also good enough to stay back and put in a shift by winning crunching tackles.

Marco Verratti is an exceptionally talented player who possesses both remarkable attacking & defending qualities. Verratti therefore would provide the passing and movement which Iniesta provided, while he would also add value to the defensive side of Barcelona's game.

Verratti had been linked with a move to Barcelona numerous times before and he had his mind set on making a move last summer, before he ultimately decided to stay at Paris. Though Verratti is a player more in the mould of Xavi than Iniesta, given the fact that Barcelona are yet to find someone to replace the former captain, Verratti with his qualities can fit into the Barcelona system seamlessly.

#1 Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur)

Christian Eriksen is likely to be Barcelona's main target this summer

It's a massive surprise that Eriksen has remained at Tottenham without any major interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world. Christian Eriksen is a silent performer in the mould of Andres Iniesta, and his playing style also mirrors the departing Barcelona captain.

Eriksen continues to do his job exceedingly well game after game, while star players Dele Alli and Harry Kane grab all the limelight.

The creative midfielder joined Tottenham from Ajax in 2013 and has grown from strength to strength to become a vital cog in their lineup. Erisken is an incredibly skillful player and would be capable of linking up with Lionel Messi in the way that Iniesta did.

His vision and calmness on the ball, to go with his fabulous passing ability make him one of the best central midfielders in the world at the moment. He is also an expert free-kick taker and is capable of scoring stunners from long distance, with remarkable frequency.

The Dane inspired his nation into the World Cup with a stunning hat-trick in the World Cup qualifier. At just 25, his best years lie ahead of him. He has also been named in the PFA Team of the Year and that's further proof that he's one of the top 3 midfielders in the Premier League.

Eriksen, in the past, has also admitted that an offer from Barcelona could be tempting and who would be able to reject that. Eriksen is most likely to be Barcelona's first choice target this summer and if they do ultimately sign him, they will have secured a great like-for-like replacement for Iniesta.