After Sergio Agüero, it seems like Barça are on their way to complete another major signing. According to various reliable sources, Gini Wijnaldum is very close to joining the blaugrana for free. Yet his case is different to Agüero’s, hence I am far more skeptical about it.
There’s no denying Wijnaldum’s quality. At 30 years of age, the Dutchman has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world, but the problem lies elsewhere. Gini is far from your prototype Barça midfielder. Though technically adept and positionally aware, he is simply a different type of player from what the club actually wants. He is a classic box-to-box, and heaven knows how he could fit into Barcelona’s midfield.
La Masia no se toca?
However, that’s not the whole issue either. While Gini is just a short-term solution, we simply cannot waste any time with the younger midfielders at the club. Pedri and Frenkie de Jong have already become crucial members of the midfield, but there’s many more youngsters worthy of a proper opportunity.
Riqui Puig, Álex Collado and Jandro Orellana are ready to make the step up, while Carles Aleña and Monchu, who have impressed on loan, should also be given another shot. From a long-term perspective, the deal makes zero sense.
What’s just as baffling is that fact that. espite Ronald Koeman’s future being very much uncertain, Joan Laporta still looks keen to complete the deal. We need a big revamp in terms of management, staff and obviously the squad. But in my eyes, Gini Wijnaldum should not be a part of that.
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