Barcelona's Transfer Campaign

If we look at the historic treble winning Barcelona team, at first glance it would seem that there are very few flaws. However if you look carefully you will realize that the team's hopes can be badly dented if there are even a couple of injuries. The biggest problem is that the replacements for the first team players are nowhere near as good in several positions. A good example would be that Iniesta played in the UCL final when he was not fully fit since after that he could not even make it to Spain's Confederations Cup squad. Yet if Iniesta had not played, would Barcelona have won UCL?

The goalkeeper position is secure. Valdes may not be considered world class and is probably considered only the 5th best Spanish goalkeeper after Casillas, Reina, Palop and Lopez. However time and again he has done the job for Barcelona whenever needed and the team as well as the management rely on him. The replacements are not good enough to challenge him but capable of performing basic duties.

The right back position is unquestionably Dani Alves'. However there is just no replacement for him. That's why when Alves is not available Puyol has to shift to the right back position even though he is not a specialist there. This is not a very welcome situation. Yet it doesn't seem as if the club will attempt to correct it this summer. At best they are trying to use Victor Sanchez from their cantera for backup for this position.

The left back position is of even greater concern. Eric Abidal has failed to convince but will still remain first choice. He too has no replacements now. At least Barca are trying to get a left back but they want to get him very cheap. That's why Inter's Maxwell who could have been easily available has been ruled out. The current target is Deportivo's Filipe Luis but even his asking price seems to be too high.

The central defense is also an area of concern. Puyol is getting older and is becoming more susceptible to mistakes. Yet at the moment he is likely to be first choice. Marquez at a similar age is suffering from even worse form. He has been offered only a one year extension which he is reluctant to accept. Pique is promising but his over-commitment towards attack at the cost of defense can cost his team at times. Other than that we have Gabi Milito who there is no report about when he will be back. Caceres does not seem to be at Barca's level. The new signing Henrique may be good but is very inexperienced. He could even go on a loan deal. Quite clearly at least one centre back is needed if not more.

Then let's talk about defensive midfield. Surprisingly this is the area they most seek to reinforce even though this is probably where they are most well covered. Yaya Toure is brilliant and could become a top top player in this position soon. Thankfully his contract has been extended. Then we have Busquets who has been picked up from the cantera and has shown great promise - still not so much of a physical presence but a good possession player. Finally we also have Seydou Keita who while nowhere near Toure can still get the job done. It seems he is now Guardiola's third choice. Yet he is content to be a squad player which is good for the team. Then why is Barcelona so desperate to sign Mascherano? They say it's because of the African Cup of Nations in January. If that's the case they need to sign a mediocre utility player as backup to Busquets and not a master like Mascherano. Any way Liverpool are asking for E50m and that should hopefully be the end of the matter.

Then comes another area of concern. Who can replace Xavi or Iniesta if either were to get injured? At the moment there is only Gudjohnsen who is not at 5% of their level. Sometimes Keita is asked to play this role. Suffice it to say that a serious injury to even one of them at the wrong time can spell doom since there is virtually no cover.

Is there any cover for Henry's position? Well they are trying out Hleb who hasn't really fitted in but will probably be given another chance. There is also Pedro who is developing. Yet in important matches if Henry is not available the tendency is to move Iniesta to that position leaving the attacking midfield a little short on creativity.

What about Messi's position? There seems to be no cover defined. The same players who cover for Henry's position are expected to do that for Messi's position as well.

The most controversial discussion has been saved for last. What about the central striker? The relations with Eto'o are now badly spoilt. I would like to put equal share of the blame on both the club and the player. The player does have attitude and off field problems. There are suggestions that he is not as good as he looks at Barcelona because there are far too many creators helping him out. Yet it cannot be denied that he is a born goal scorer. Also he works very hard for the team. Whatever his off field behavior may be, his on field efforts can rarely be criticized. He has been a part of all of Barca's triumphs in recent seasons - 2 UCL, 3 La Liga. He scored the opening goal in both the UCL finals that Barca won. So he does deserve to be treated better. It wasn't wrong for Barca to hand him a two year extension without any increase in pay because at least 3 players are more valuable than him - Messi, Iniesta and Xavi. However they took a long time to make him that offer. Besides they made statements indicating that they were ready to sell him without first making him this offer. This coupled with the incessant media reports have really severed the relations between the club and the player. Is there a way back? It's hard to see but if Eto'o were to sign the extension, things could be brought back to normal. On the other hand if he insists on staying without signing so that he can leave on a free transfer next summer, he will be doing neither himself nor the club any favors. Barca are known to be strict about this and he could even be ostracized from the squad like Saviola was although he will probably not suffer as much as poor Saviola because of what he has contributed to this team over the years. Still unless he signs the extension it's better for all that he leaves this summer.

Looking at the above situation, signing a central striker is Barca's number one priority now. David Villa is more than ideal. He is possibly the world's best striker. At least his return of goals justifies that because it's even superior to Eto'o's. And if we just leave speed aside he is as good or perhaps even better than Torres. So what's the hitch? The money as always. Valencia are trying to extract maximum cash from this sale and they cannot be blamed for that given their financial situation. At the same time it must not be forgotten that Villa has been an incomparable loyalist among the world's top players - always 100% dedicated and never causing even one problem for his club. Since he is now 27 years old, if he were to say that he wants to move to Barca to fulfill his ambitions, Valencia just should not stand in his way. However Barca must also be ready to pay them well because we are talking about one of the world's best players in a market that's already become inflated due to one Mr. Florentino Perez.

In case the David Villa deal doesn't work out Barca are almost sure to go for Diego Forlan. This isn't that good an option but it's not a bad short term arrangement either. After all in the current situation the club cannot risk being dependent on Eto'o. In case Eto'o does sign an extension we are still a bit short and have to look at the African Cup of Nations issue as well. In such a situation Henry may me moved to the centre with someone else taking his place on the left. Also there is Bojan who while very talented is still something of a greenhorn.

In conclusion what surprises us somewhat is a club as big as Barcelona having won so many trophies has such a limited transfer budget. It seems like it's not that they don't have money but rather it's against their policy to overspend. They believe in getting maximum people from their cantera. While this policy is very commendable, it can cause problems at least in the short term. Looking at the fact that Barca will play 6 competitions next season and also that Real Madrid have spent so much money, the situation may seem a bit apprehensive to a loyal Barcelona fan. However Barcelona have shown that their model is successful and should be able to continue along those lines without necessarily seeing too much immediate success. Since Xavi is already 29 years old, they have their sights firmly set on Fabregas to come and take his place most probably next summer. Another instance of this limited spending is that they could not chase Ibrahimovic and Ribery for long and will have to drop their quest for Mascherano too. Even Silva is expensive for them and so they are now looking at Juan Mata for the role of a competent backup player.

Ultimately all my hopes rest on one factor - please get me David Villa. Not only is he unbelievable quality, his attitude is exemplary, he is Spanish and since he hasn't won major club trophies he will keep the squad motivated even though some others may have the feeling that they have already won everything which to be honest they probably have - at least in club football.