And deploy puyol as one of the backs (back-up)?
I hope Mascherano is just an addition to the likes of yaya and Busquets and not a recplament of yaya. If he's an addition, that would be ok for me. replacement for yaya would suck for me.
I think Puyol will be the combined back-up CB and LB/RB either way. I see either Márquez or Henrique partnering Piqué at CB for the majority of matches. Then we will sign an attacking LB and that way every position at the back will have more than a player capable of playing there without any worries.
If you envisage Mascherano coming in as an addition to Yaya and Busquets, then that will mean that Keita can't stay. And while it may sound better on paper, I don't really see Keita leaving just like that after a season. It's not like there will be any desperate suitors. Yaya is a different situation though. I am sure many teams would love to sign him. I see absolutely no reason as to why we should sell Yaya, because I love him. But if the club decides to exchange him for Mascherano, then that would also work theoretically.
On second thoughts, perhaps Mascherano
could come in as an addition to who we have already - with the Africans being absent during the ACN, we will have midfield of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta + Masch if he came. His arrival could also eliminate the need to buy Cesc, because we would have enough midfielders to suit each situation (two big guys and one midget for steel or two midgets and one big guy for skill etc.). Alternatively, it could still herald the arrival of Cesc but eliminate the need for a LW, with Iniesta taking up a more permanent role there.
Either way, it's possible to shuffle the line-up if he is to arrive. If we can get him it might just be a good move, because it would make it easier for us to avoid having to get more expensive and hard-to-reach targets.
Hmm....