La Liga: Reviewing FC Barcelona's transfer activity

Modified Aug 07, 2019 05:36 GMT

FC Barcelona beal Arsenal during yesterday's pre-season friendly.

#2 Midfielders

Barcelona currently have many midfield options with the likes of Arturo Vidal, Arthur Melo, Ivan Rakitic, and Sergio Busquets to name a few. It isn't, therefore, surprising that they brought in only one midfielder in this window.

Frenkie de Jong, a former Ajax man, has cost Barcelona €75 million in bringing him to the Nou Camp. While de Jong is only 22 years old, he can easily challenge other midfielders for a starting XI berth. His hefty transfer fee will also help in ensuring his place in the first team. De Jong was part of a youthful Ajax squad that competed commendably in the Champions League, successfully steamrolling past heavyweights like Juventus and Real Madrid.

Andre Gomes, former Barcelona midfielder, was at Everton on loan last season. Due to barely any game time available at Camp Nou, the 25-year-old decided to make his loan move to Goodison Park a permanent one. Everton paid Barcelona €25 million to acquire Gomes' services for the foreseeable future.

Denis Suarez, who had been at Arsenal on loan last term, also had to leave the Nou Camp this transfer window in search of better chances on the field. He did not impress at the North London club during the months he spent there, and it wasn't shocking that Unai Emery did not push for the 25-year-old's return. Suarez has moved to Celta de Vigo instead, with Barcelona receiving just over €12 million for the star.

About the author

Nnanna is a European and international football journalist who has been covering news and transfer rumors at Sportskeeda for around 5 years. A keen interest in reading and football since an early age, watching games at local stadiums with family paved the way for him to take up the sport professionally.

Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha's play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian's love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.

Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.

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Edited by Sai Teja