7) Barcelona: Ivan Rakitic
Trending
When Barcelona signed Ivan Rakitic and he took the shirt previously worn by Cesc Fabregas, it was evident that he was a better signing than the Chelsea-bound midfielder. Nobody knew where to play Fabregas in a midfield with Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.
As the club moved away from tiki-taka, Rakitic became the template for Barcelona midfielders – physically adept, pressing high up the pitch, and the ability to play long passes made him a valuable member of the 2014/15 treble-winning team.
But this season has seen a decline of sorts from the Croatian midfielder even if his stats have been padded by goals that are often inconsequential in huge wins. He is no longer the midfield lynchpin and has often been pushed to a wide midfield role so Lionel Messi has enough space to operate in the centre of the pitch. This is a role that suits Messi considering he has scored more than 50 goals this season and it has come at Rakitic’s expense.
Barcelona’s midfield has had a poor return compared to other teams and Rakatic’s position in the lineup is no longer guaranteed with Andre Gomes getting a look-in. His future lies elsewhere if he wants to regularly make the starting lineup.
Possible destination: AS Roma. His former club Sevilla lost Monchi to Roma and the Serie A club made him their Sporting Director. It was he who brought Rakitic to La Liga.
