Barça's Transfers and Rumors

[Sumlit]

I'll continue to insist, this team would see some tremendous benefit from acquiring a true 9 type of player.

Now, the situation is not simple, and the player that comes needs to a) be talented/ not washed up. and b) understand the situation he is coming into requires him to be patient and not always play.
However if the team is making the Cesc, Iniesta and Xavi rotation for 2 spots work, there is no reason they cannot integrate another forward at the expense of Tello and Pedro.

However, IMHO the benefits would be significant and immediate.
It opens a whole new set of formations and adjustments to counter adverse situations with increased efficiency. You could deploy a defensive more direct attacking double pivot formation of Busi/Song with an interchanging front 4 of Neymar, Cesc, Messi and the 9.
You could do the same above formation with just Messi at the CAM and play a front 3 of Neymar, the 9 and Alexis.
You could deploy a diamond midfield formation of Busi, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi with a front 2 of Neymar and the 9.
You can move Messi to the wing and have the 9 in middle with your choice of Iniesta, Xavi or Cesc in the middle.

It just opens up the attack immensely and makes the team that much more difficult to prepare for and much more unpredictable.

 

[DinhoR10]

I'll continue to insist, this team would see some tremendous benefit from acquiring a true 9 type of player.

Now, the situation is not simple, and the player that comes needs to a) be talented/ not washed up. and b) understand the situation he is coming into requires him to be patient and not always play.
However if the team is making the Cesc, Iniesta and Xavi rotation for 2 spots work, there is no reason they cannot integrate another forward at the expense of Tello and Pedro.

However, IMHO the benefits would be significant and immediate.
It opens a whole new set of formations and adjustments to counter adverse situations with increased efficiency. You could deploy a defensive more direct attacking double pivot formation of Busi/Song with an interchanging front 4 of Neymar, Cesc, Messi and the 9.
You could do the same above formation with just Messi at the CAM and play a front 3 of Neymar, the 9 and Alexis.
You could deploy a diamond midfield formation of Busi, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi with a front 2 of Neymar and the 9.
You can move Messi to the wing and have the 9 in middle with your choice of Iniesta, Xavi or Cesc in the middle.

It just opens up the attack immensely and makes the team that much more difficult to prepare for and much more unpredictable.

You see the main problem is we need a talented 9 but not a zlatan he has to know that no hes not the star of the team and probably never will be that might be hard for someone to swallow when they can go to chelsea or man u and be treated like a god even if they arent at messi's level

 

[Flavia]

I wonder..... When they have the details of all that, then why not a picture

Probably just a typical rumour I guess

It's on Md's and Sport's cover:

 

[DonAK]

^ Nice. Hopefully its happening.

 

[sabby]

Why not Courtois ? I thought he was available for only 24m € !

 

[FCBarca]

We'll see if it's true but he'd be my choice...although a veteran like Reina would be a smart mentor for the young German

 

[Zincubus]

Getting Aguero would be a dream. Instant upgrade over Tello, Pedro, Sanchez. Imagine a front three of Neymar, Messi,Augero. Would be reminiscent of the Henry, Eto, Messi era..

Agreed

I was thinking back to Rivaldo / Figo / Kluivert

 

[serghei]

I've heard Barcelona is interested in Graziano Pellè. Now, it wouldn't be a bad signing. Big guy, great in the air, has the numbers, not too old (28), not expensive, would accept that he's not going to play every week and so on. That is if we really want a classic "9". Jackson Martinez from Porto would be a good choice too, even if he'll cost more. That Porto team is a waterfall of talents.

 

[aaron101]

We should try and get Courtois first and make ter Stegen as our 2nd priority. Courtois is already settled in Spanish football and will only have to adjust to Barca tactics while ter Stegen will have to adapt to a lot of things specially his Spanish.

Check this video of Courtois. Look how fluent and smooth his Spanish.

 

[barca1899]

Tata Martino continues to think about signing a centre forward in the future. Dortmund player Robert Lewandowski 25) could be an option [md]

Don't see it happening. Why would a player like Lewandowski sit on our bench?

 

[D10S_JC]

Chelsea won't sell Couritois to us. Just like David Luiz.

 

[Paganinisrvnge]

Tata Martino continues to think about signing a centre forward in the future. Dortmund player Robert Lewandowski 25) could be an option [md]

Don't see it happening. Why would a player like Lewandowski sit on our bench?

He'd have to sit on Bayern's bench sometimes, anyway. Even if Pep sells Mandzukic, he'd have to find a way to get minutes for Kroos, Gotze, Robben, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Martinez, Thiago, Muller, and Lewandowski. That's 9 players for 6 positions. 10 if you include Lahm as a midfielder.

I think that if Barcelona signed Lewandowski, they'd find a way to get him at least 50% of matches. I like Lewa a lot but

1. I don't see it happening. He's going to Bayern.
2. We would have too many forwards in Messi, Pedro, Sanchez, Neymar, Lewa, Tello, Cuenca, etc.

Messi, Lewandowski, Neymar would be scary but I have faith that Sanchez's improvement will continue.

 

[Meitux]

I've heard Barcelona is interested in Graziano Pellè. Now, it wouldn't be a bad signing. Big guy, great in the air, has the numbers, not too old (28), not expensive, would accept that he's not going to play every week and so on. That is if we really want a classic "9". Jackson Martinez from Porto would be a good choice too, even if he'll cost more. That Porto team is a waterfall of talents.

No, it would be a bad signing. Most of Eredivisie's strikers struggle outside of it. Bas Dost scored 32 Leauge goals in 2011/2012 season. Pelle was bad in Serie A, and now you only say he's good just because he scores in Eredivisie, meaning that it isn't the hardest of leauges. Strikers from there can't be trustable, Bony may well be proved the exception but it happens once in a time, and Pelle wouldn't make any difference, the elements you mention are not enough. We don't even know for what a striker will be used for..

I don't want an average/ below average player to come and play here just because he's tall and would accept a place on the bench playing whenever he's needed too, because he's not a good player it wouldn't make any difference. And a player like him who's an average one can't perform without stability of playing time. If we need a striker i always maintain the idea of getting someone who will be a starter and not be used with the idea of a ''Plan B'' which we don't even know if it would work.

 

[karthik]

Why would a player like Lewandowski sit on our bench?

Or maybe start upfront with Leo just behind him. We are looking at a Barcelona which at times doesn't play like the ones of Pep or Vilanova. Tata Martino likes more directness than control, Im afriad and having a world class striker can just be the transition that our attack needed to torment defences around the world once again ?

 

[Meitux]

He'd have to sit on Bayern's bench sometimes, anyway. Even if Pep sells Mandzukic, he'd have to find a way to get minutes for Kroos, Gotze, Robben, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, Martinez, Thiago, Muller, and Lewandowski. That's 9 players for 6 positions. 10 if you include Lahm as a midfielder.

I think that if Barcelona signed Lewandowski, they'd find a way to get him at least 50% of matches. I like Lewa a lot but

1. I don't see it happening. He's going to Bayern.
2. We would have too many forwards in Messi, Pedro, Sanchez, Neymar, Lewa, Tello, Cuenca, etc.

Messi, Lewandowski, Neymar would be scary but I have faith that Sanchez's improvement will continue.

And how exactly is a striker (in our case Lewandowski) comparable with midfielders. What does it have to do with with the players he's about to compete for a place. Pep is not gonna use a false nine that's what you have in your mind. You mention players that can't be compared, you mention midfielders with Lewandowski, and if again you think that Pep would push a midfielder further forward again like a false 9 it won't happen.

Two many forwards is an iconical image only with those names. How much useful they could be is the right think, and as far i can see. Pedro is not performing, Cuenca i'm not sure where he would find a place in the team and he's a supportive player. Tello would stay for some rotation. And Sanchez is a supportive player too. You say you have faith in Alexis's improvement but what exactly do you expect? He's not completely useless in scoring, he scores some goals but he's not a player who scores. You have seen him scoring nowdays but you shouldn't expect big number of goals from him. As a player he's not bad but he doesn't fit into the idea of this system. Which needs players more dynamic who will be making the chances themselves and not always look for the other player to support. I don't know how it will work with Alexis in the future, but i don't go by the idea of some guys saying ''how can you expect goals from Sanchez when he's not a goalscorer'' If he's not someone who scores then he doesn't fit into this system. You can't rely on Messi and waiting for him to make everything and having supportive players behind him. The true question is what happens when Messi is closed down or doesn't play, how will a player like Sanchez make the difference, think it by yourself.