Barcelona missing on a treble last season has seemingly hurt the Catalan giants and that is getting well-reflected from the Blaugrana bolstering their already strong squad. The Camp Nou side have made as many as four signings this summer with Denis Suarez, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne and Andre Gomes. If reports are believed to be true, Atletico Madrid forward Luciano Vietto could be on the verge of becoming Luis Enrique’s fifth capture of the summer.
Interestingly, all of Barcelona’s summer arrivals are 22 years of age and the same goes for Vietto. It is loud and clear that the Blaugrana are looking to ensure a long-term bright future of the club as well as a glorious present. Provided there is no late twist in the tale, Vietto could be the fifth and final piece of addition to Barcelona this summer, the final act in the drama, the missing piece in the jigsaw.
Ahead of Barcelona’s capture of the Argentine forward, let us make a SWOT analysis of the highly rated forward.
Strengths
Vietto, with his style of play, is an ideal cover for each of Barcelona’s famous attacking trident ‘MSN’. The 22-year-old is primarily a number nine but can be useful on either flank and even as a number ten if needed. Like most South American players, Vietto is blessed with strong technical ability, flair, dribbling skills and can improve on those if he can learn from the likes of Messi, Suarez and Neymar.
Weaknesses
Vietto is on the back of a dismal last season with Atletico Madrid where he notched up just three goals and five assists from 28 games. The Argentine failed to gel into the physical game of Simeone’s side. His poor form last season would be a matter of concern for the Barcelona fans. Vietto has been in Europe for just two years now. Villareal brought him to Europe in 2014 and his first season in the continent saw him fire 20 goals and create eight other which was remarkable and it led to a transfer to Vicente Calderon. Vietto failed to build on that last season but at Barcelona, things could be different.
Opportunities
Vietto failed to thrive in the physical game of Atletico Madrid but he is a readymade recipe for success at a club like Barcelona where you need to possess flair and technical ability to succeed. Vietto will be playing alongside his compatriot and idol Lionel Messi and if he can learn from him, Suarez and Neymar, Barcelona can relax as they will secure a long-term future for the club which promises to be as bright as day.
Threat
It is crystal clear that Vietto will be struggling for game time at Barcelona if the deal goes through. There’s no way that he gets picked ahead of ‘MSN’ unless one of them is injured or suspended. The lack of game time could stall the Argentine’s career.
