Today news updates confirmed what some of the news outlets already suspected. One day after the knee surgery of Luis Suarez, it turns out that he’ll be out for about 4 months. Therefore, he virtually says goodbye to the season. It came as quite a blow in a day already full of tense around whether Valverde will leave.
An unexpected blow
After the loss last Thursday, the media outlets reported that Luis Suarez will finally operate his knee, meaning he’ll be out for some time. However, they said that he would be fit for the Champions League knockout matches against Napoli. However, today Barcelona officially stated that during the surgery the doctors witnessed a worse injury than first thought.
Luis Suarez will probable be out for the rest of the season. Therefore, that means that Barcelona lose one of their main men. Suarez Stats with Barça this season:
23 games
14 goals
10 assists
(Stats by Barcastat)
The numbers of Luis Suarez are quite crazy, and filling his spot will be tough. Therefore, the club has to decide fast how can they fill his shoes for the rest of the season. There are some actions that the club can take:
1. Going for a long term forward
Seems logic at first, as the club already looked for a long term forward to join next summer. In that case, there are two names that seem more logic:
- Lautaro Martinez: Maybe the hottest striker that is connected to Barcelona in the last year. The young striker of Inter is a hot candidate already, and he has a release clause of 110 Million Euros. He does terrific job with 15 goals so far this season. However, Barcelona might not have the available cash to spend such money mid-season.
- Dani Olmo: The former La Masia player plays for Dinamo Zagreb, where he is the main man. Furthermore, after great spells with the younger Spanish national teams, he already debuted with the senior team. Moreover, his contract expires in a year and a half, so Barcelona might get him for less than the asking price of 40 Million Euros. However, he’s not a striker, so he can’t be a direct replacement for Luis Suarez.
2. Short-term solution
Getting an older forward for half a season is something that can turnout to be a good solution. However, giving the bad experience of last season’s loan spell of Prince Boateng, it’s a less preferred solution. Although it’s a less popular option, we can still get our hands on few cheaper options, like:
- Pedro: The former Barcelona player finishes his contract with Chelsea in the end of the season. Therefore, in case Barcelona would want him, his price should not be high. However, with only 1 goal this season, he’s not at his best form.
- Carlos Vela: The 30 years old forward is having great time with Los Angeles FC in the MLS. Moreover, the former Arsenal and Real Sociedad player was one of the candidates to arrive last season. However, I’m not sure that he’s at the level to return to the big stage. We already had Prince Boateng last season, and we do not need another one.
3. Let our youngsters play more
Ansu Fati, Carles Perez and once he will come back, Ousmane Dembele, should be enough to play alogside Messi and Griezmann. However, giving the current state of the team is delicate, and it might be risky. However, the talent is there, and also the potential. In that case, it’s important to know who will be the coach of the team for the rest of the season?
In case Valverde will stay, it is more than likely that his poor man management will force the board to act. In that case, both options, long term and short term, are possible.
However, it seems like Valverde is moving further and further away from Camp Nou. Therefore, we should wait until this saga will be sorted out.
If the current coach of Barcelona B, Garcia Pimienta, will indeed become the next coach of the first team, it will be really interesting to see what will happen. The guy has La Masia in his veins, so we might see more and more youngsters in our team.
Bottom line is that the team would have to handle the time Luis Suarez will be out. How will they do it? Let’s wait and see. Meanwhile, you can answer our poll here:
