For Barcelona to rope in some of the players that they are targeting, they must sell some of the existing members of their squad, and for that, they have put a number of their players on sale. One such man is Junior Firpo who could leave the Catalan club at the end of the season, and now Mundo Deportivo suggests that the Cules have also identified three such players as a replacement of the Spaniard. Here we take a look at all the three options and try and decide for ourselves as to who would be the best among them for the Spanish giants.
Juan Bernat
The Paris Saint-Germain man started playing for the French champions from 2018 onwards after spending four summers with Bayern. He has been a regular for PSG in the left-back slot, featuring in 43 matches till now. The Spaniard is an adept defender, making 1.2 clearances per game this term.
He has also made 2.3 tackles this season per 90 minutes which could certainly raise the hopes of the manager. One thing which should excite the Barca board is his ball distribution, which stands at 91% of successful passes made this term. He still needs to work on his crossing though, which is an essential element for any wing-back in modern football.
Pervis Estupinan
The 22-year-old plays for Osasuna on loan from Watford and this season he has done pretty decently for his side. Unlike the former, the Ecuadorian is an out and out modern-day left-back, extremely capable of moving forward and helping his team in the attack.
Estupinan’s dribbling skills and his tendency to make key passes are well known, helping him amass three assists this season. He has even scored a goal for his side and can emulate the performances of Dani Alves for the Catalan side. However, Estupinan needs to work more on the defensive aspect of his game and to feature for a club like Barcelona regularly; he needs to be solid in every respect.
Nicolas Tagliafico
There is a trend among the European clubs to look at Ajax for talented players when in trouble and Barcelona should again do the same thing. In our opinion, the Argentine is the best choice among the three, and that is not without reason.
In the last two seasons, Tagliafico has established himself as the regular first choice for his side, and the 27-year-old has all the traits to be the left-back solution for Barcelona. Like the brand of football that his club promotes, Tagliafico is an exciting man to watch out for when he is attacking. This term alone, he has scored five goals and created five assists for the side across all competitions.
Not only that, but he has also taken 1.6 shots per game on an average. Tagliafico’s passing has also been exceptionally good as he has completed 85.9% of his total passes in the Eredivisie. His defensive contributions are also praiseworthy as the Argentina international has made 2.5 tackles, and 1.7 interceptions per game in the league and it can be believed that he would be able to replicate his performances for the Catalan side as well for several years to come.
Stats from Whoscored.
