Next season:
-------Aleñá-------Busquets-------De Jong------
-------Arthur--------Todibo---------Rakitić-------
I don't think Rakitic will stay. He is too marketable right now and the club won't extend, so to sell him for profit is now or never.
Regarding the midfield next season, I agree that we have a fine balance, but I don't see Todibo there:
With proven senior experience:
- Busquets (needs replacement sooner rather than later)
- Arthur (one season, but is so stable and consistent that it would be odd for him to suddenly drop in level)
- Vidal (the guarantee that Roma will never happen again, because he can be subbed and start kicking our own and opponents asses)
- Roberto (backup in midfield, remortada-king, reliable against bigger opponents if needed)
- Coutinho (should get a second chance here, imo, as he was great for Liverpool in midfield in the end. With De Jong + Arthur along side him, he can do better)
In the middle of the spectrum:
- De Jong (leading role in a weaker league, but also CL-experience. Still an open question how fast he can replace Busquets/perform consistently in the best league
Young unproven through whole seasons:
- Alena (best bet to make it into the starting-11 on a regular basis, and his minutes should not be sacrificed for another signing)
- Puig (should get the role Alena has had this season)
- O.Busquets (some minutes here and there, but we shouldn't be reliant on him)
My prefered starters: De Jong/Arthur/Coutinho or Busquets/De Jong/Arthur, with Alena as first sub.