Finally, we arrive to the position that is arguably our weakest one, and that’s the striker’s spot. Obviously, a man that has been linked with a move to Barça for very long is Memphis Depay. Though he’s not a natural number 9, he’s a player that Ronald Koeman has wanted to bring in ever since he became Barça’s coach.
Memphis is a top-notch player. He has an immense skillset which should have allowed him to have already become one of the best in the world, yet his attitude prevented him from reaching that level in his first years as a professional. At Lyon, however, Depay has matured. Acting mostly as a second striker behind Toko-Ekembi, he has stepped up as a brilliant creator. Koeman has worked with Memphis with the Dutch NT, too, and has implemented him as a deep-lying centre-forward, with great success.
As for where he could potentially play, that, for me at least, is an unknown. Despite being capable of playing up front, Depay is a creator, and we have an abundance of those, both in midfield and attack. If Antoine Griezmann leaves, then the move would at least seem understandable, yet the Frenchman’s departure isn’t really a possibility.
Should he be a priority?
The paperwork and the deal itself shouldn’t be much of a problem, with Memphis’ contract expiring in the summer and the player seemingly willing to re-join forces with Ronald Koeman. His wage demands could be worth negotiating, but, other than that, there seems to be no obstacle to prevent this deal from happening.
From my standpoint, Memphis Depay should not be a priority. As tempting as the possibility of signing him for free may look, we need to ask ourselves: do we need a player like Memphis? My answer would be “no”. We need finishers, not creators.
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