Who do you like that fits your criteria for Barca? I guess Balanta fits that mold, only his experience is a question. David Luiz can use both feet very well, but he has discipline and concentration issues. Who else is there?
I think it's the most significant weakness the team has and has had for a few seasons...It hasn't been addressed partly, I think, because the right/best solution breaks their wage & transfer structure for a defender in T.Silva...Because I think you have to get a veteran since no young central defender coming from a different league much less continent is going to be able to slot in very quickly...All you have to do is look at Barcelona's track record over the last decade in terms of patience and development of a young defensive transfer - they've all been failures...I think you have to invest at least as much time as the club has in both Cesc & Alexis...3 years, even if they aren't playing big minutes...Ship them out to develop at a smaller club if it's needed but good defenders take time to ripen
So you have to go for veterans at this point and a veteran the quality of what Barcelona require?...You're talking only the top 3 or 4 central defenders in the game...Nevermind how expensive they would be, imagine the fight that would be required to unsettle let alone get them to agree to a transfer...Again, T.Silva is a great case in point as they couldn't land him two different times with two different clubs...I keep thinking how much grief United fans give their club over their ridiculous & fruitless pursuit of Fabregas and I feel the Silva pursuit was even worse because they never learned after the first go around...I mean, how could they blow it
twice?...Seems like they massively misjudged the player or overestimated their negotiating ability...But that's another topic
Either way, I think they have to pay up to 35-45 million and do it right...Marquinhos would've been an interesting gamble but he too was priced out of what the board wanted, I gather...But it may take that sort of money whether you want Mangala, Zouma or any of the Brasilian studs that have been talked about
I don't like Luiz, actually...I know little of Balanta but it does sound like he could tick a lot of the boxes that are needed, I believe...To boot, Tata knows the Colombian so if he's a legitimate target it's because Martino has confidence in him
Zouma is a possibility but again he's young so you never know what you're getting and it isn't likely to pay off in the short run...Mangala will simply be priced out of our range, Subotic will be impossible to pry away, Sakho couldn't even hold down a starting position at his hometown club, why would he start here and somehow perform better?...Marquinhos seemed the smart move but the board misjudged that one a bit worse than they did the pointless pursuit of T.Silva...From there, you're talking really about gambles and relying on scouting that is somehow aware of a player who none of the scouting reports really talk much about...Maybe the club will get lucky with a lesser known talent who inexplicably excels from the start but it's fairly improbable
I think if Balanta can be bought at a reasonable fee, he's be a worthwhile investment even if he never ended up panning out here - residual value on a stout defender like the Colombian will minimize the risk in the long run
