Mundo Deportivo has recently reported that Barcelona midfielder is on Tottenham Hotspur’s radar this month. It is believed that Spurs are in talks with Barca over a potential move for the Guinean youngster with the Catalans looking to recoup Є20m for him this summer.
Moriba’s Rapid Rise At The Nou Camp
The 18-year-old is a product of Barcelona’s prestigious La Masia academy and did well to make himself a useful contributor in Ronald Koeman’s match-day squad last season. Moriba participated in 18 matches for the Catalan outfit in the previous campaign, finding the back of the net once and securing three assists in the process across all competitions.
The Guinean whizkid caught the eye with his performances at the centre of the park as he averaged 1.0 tackles, 0.4 interceptions, 0.9 shots, 0.5 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2020-21 La Liga season. Moriba was also quite accurate with his ball distribution after making 91.6% of his attempted passes in the Spanish top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Moriba is currently not part of Koeman’s first-team plans for this campaign and has got less than a year left to run in his Barca contract. Hence, it makes sense for the Catalan giants to cash in on him before the end of this month or else risk losing him as a free agent next summer.
Why Barca Need To Cut Moriba Loose This Summer
Moriba can use his quickness to pull off a few quick dashes from midfield and can get stuck in with some solid tackles to disrupt the opposition’s rhythm in the game. He hardly gives away the ball in midfield and deserves credit for picking up a few important assists for his side last season.
The Guinean starlet can play a wide variety of passes but needs to add more goals to his game if he intends to become a success story at the highest level. He is still quite raw and would need time before he can be a consistent performer in top-flight football.
At the moment, Barca are going through financial turmoil, so Koeman can benefit from cashing in on Moriba during this summer transfer period. Only time will tell whether the Catalans can hold out for the full Є20m fee they are looking for, with Spurs closing in on the Guinean talent this month.
However, one thing’s for sure, Barca should consider cutting Moriba loose this summer. It would be quite a gamble for them to keep an unsettled player like him at the club as he might hamper the chemistry of Koeman’s squad this season.
