#tranfers

Starting at left center back, like many fans, I‘m cautiously optimistic about Martín’s form. I do believe that he could negate our need at that position, especially given how little has been injured these two seasons. He deserves this season as a chance to prove that he can be our starter. If he looks good I say we’re set, even if he isn’t absolutely elite I’d rather put the 50-80m a Schlotterbeck, Guehi, or Bastoni will cost to better use.

With Martín switching to center back. We are losing depth at left back. Balde is easily top 5 in the world (I’d argue only Nuno Mendes is above him but that’s just me), however, his injury record means his backup will get a significant amount of minutes. Additionally, the amount of space Balde is asked to cover is probably the most of any elite left back to the point where he’s really one of the few players who can do it. I would want to make sure our in-house players get a chance before going to the market. To that end, Jofre Torrents is highly touted from the academy and should 100% start our early Copa del Rey games. He is far more like Balde than Martin which gives me (probably delusional) hope that he can be our backup. Otherwise, Hector Fort has played well on loan at Elche, he has looked comfortable playing left back for Barca before and he has buckets of pace like Balde. That said, he isn’t anywhere near as good when it comes to 1v1 defending so he will need to improve in that regard. However, he is also someone to watch for.

As for a left winger, Rashford is about as good as we could ask for, especially for 30m. Barca has been looking at cheaper options, but Rashford guarantees production and has certain tools in his kit like his ball striking that are genuinely 99th percentile. I’m happy with him and I’m 75% sure we will sign him permanently this summer. We’ve been linked with Antonio Nusa at Liepzig. However, he will cost more, and is more of a risk for a player who is potentially elite but even lacks some of Rashford’s abilities.

Lastly, we have striker. In my opinion, this is the single most important signing for us to complete this summer. As it stands, we do not have a traditional 9 that we can reliably field and it’s hurting us on the pitch. Lewa is likely not gonna extend his contract (he would need to slash his wages significantly in line with a player who will likely barely feature). His all-around play in addition to his finishing has been essential to us and we need to sign a successor. The striker market is tough this summer and so the majority of our budget should go to securing a capable target man. We will likely need to spend ~100m which is risky for us. However, we will not be able to get the most out of this squad without an elite 9 leading the line. Kane has explicitly stated that he wants to stay at Bayern, Haaland is financially impossible, and Alvarez is too risky given his profile. I’ve been very outspoken with my preference for Porto’s Samu Aghehowa, but players like Osimhen and Guirassy are also good options to look at.

Out: Lewa (free), Olmo (~50m), Ferran (~50m)

In: Samu Aghehowa (80-100m), Rashford (30m)

If it’s at all possible I’d want to get a left footed cb but guys like Schlotterbeck, Bastoni, and Calafiori would likely be 80m+ and we don’t have epl money. Calafiori or Schlotterbeck would be ideal tho given they can play cb and lb.

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i think i got ptsd from gyokeres & nunez😭😭

tbf samu is young but he just doesn’t impress me when i watch him against top teams. in liga nos theres only 2 other teams on the same level yk

the spain performance from last week was worrying aswell

I get having anxiety and doubts over the production of a player in the primera liga. That said, there are also as many if not more players who get even better after leaving Portugal: Bruno, Bernardo Silva, Falcao, Cristiano, Raphinha, Di Maria, Deco, and so many more.

It’s important to note that Nuñez was not an out and out 9 at Benfica, he was a physically gifted inside forward played as a central forward like a bigger, stronger, faster Ferran. Liverpool switched from a dedicated central facilitator with elite hold-up and link-up play to a drifting inside forward who did not have it in their game to be positionally disciplined in the central channel. Liverpool also bought him as a reaction to city signing Haaland. It shouldn’t have been surprising that a player being expected to play in a way not aligned with their skills struggled. He still scored some bc he was a good player, but Liverpool’s attack didn’t function properly with him, unlike with Ekitike now who can link play.

The lesson to take when signing players from Portugal is the same with any transfer: look at the profile first, then the stat sheet. Unless you plan on restructuring ur team around a new signing a la Haaland at city, you need to make sure that they have the skills and traits to perform the role you intend to play them in. If they fit the profile, then you can be more confident that their output is likely to translate.

This is why I say that Samu is what every prem team told themselves Gyokeres was last summer. He has the overall game of a standalone central striker. However, Arsenal bought the numbers rather than the profile without considering that without the profile, you won’t get the numbers.

With the exception of the Messis, Ronaldinhos, Neymars, Mbappés, and Lamines of the world who are so complete they’re effectively one man teams, players thrive in roles and struggle outside of them, so you can’t separate the two and expect it to work.