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Barcelona's present scenario is something that no one could have ever anticipated. The Liga giants have endured a series of unprecedented events in the last few months.
It all began with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu's exit in 2020. Lionel Messi's shocking departure before the start of the season pushed the club further towards trouble. Finally, they got Xavi Hernandez as manager to steady the ship, but the former Blaugrana midfielder failed to help the club.
The Catalan club were eliminated from three different title races in three months. These are the Champions League, the Spanish Supercup and Copa del Rey. They are also far from catching up with leaders Real Madrid in La Liga, being 17 points behind.
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The team is facing many underlying issues, and one of them certainly has to be unsuitable investments made in recent years. They invested heavily in transfers that didn't work for them like Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann.
Yet, surprisingly, there are few players who could live up to their billing away from the club. Let's take a look at five players from Blaugrana who currently play in the Premier League:
#5 Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
The 25-year old Spanish international is a known figure in football. Apart from his intimidating physique, Traore is appreciated for his pace, ball control and dribbling ability.
The Barcelona-born forward joined the La Liga giants' youth setup La Masia at the age of 8. He was promoted to the B team in 2013 and became one of their crucial players. Adama Traore was a significant element of the youth squad that won the inaugural UEFA Youth Champions League.
Despite making his debut in La Liga and Copa del Rey, Traore couldn't find a permanent place with the legions of the club. He was offloaded to Aston Villa, where he remained for two seasons. Traore eventually moved to Wolves and became one of the best players at the club.
#4 Francisco Trincao
Barcelona signed Francisco Trincao from Braga to add depth to their attacking unit. He featured in 28 La Liga games in his first senior season itself. Trincao was brought in as a future prospect and his buyout clause was set at €500 million.
However, amidst multiple managerial and team changes, the club decided not to continue with Trincao's services. He was then offloaded to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2021.
Considering the current situation within the Catalan club, Trincao could have been of very much use to them.
#3 Lucas Digne (Aston Villa)
Lucas Digne is another Barcelona outcast who is doing considerably well in the Premier League. He recently joined Aston Villa from Everton and has shown great performances in the few matches he has played for Villa.
He represented and won the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2013 with France. Digne's performance earned him a spot in the senior squad during France's 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2020 EURO Cup outings.
He signed a five-year deal with Barcelona in 2016. The French international enjoyed recurring playing roles and was a regular figure on the pitch during Ernesto Valverde's reign. He eventually joined Everton for more playing time.
Digne's skillset would have been handy for Barcelona, who are in trouble regarding their back four.
#2 Emerson Royal (Tottenham Hotspur)
Emerson Royal's saga with Barcelona was not the usual one. The full-back was an Atlético Mineiro player when the Catalan club and Real Betis decided to sign him as part of a joint financial operation between the clubs.
Royal joined Betis during the 2018-19 season with a clause that allowed Blaugrana to sign the Brazilian later. They exercised this option during the closing stages of the 2021 summer transfer window only to let go of him on deadline day.
Royal is now a regular at Spurs and one of the favorites under manager Antonio Conte. Should Barcelona have decided to keep him, Xavi would have found his answer to the wingback problems.
#1 Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa)
Philippe Coutinho's story is somewhat similar to Emerson Royal's. The forward was a hot property for Liverpool and was under Barcelona's radar throughout the 2017-18 season.
Coutinho left Liverpool mid-season in 2018, much to the disappointment of the club and its fans. He joined Barcelona for a reported £142 million fee with the hopes of laying his hands on the coveted Champions League trophy.
Coutinho was signed as a potential replacement for Andres Iniesta. However, things didn't work out between the two parties, and the Brazilian was sent on loan to Bayern Munich in 2019. At Bayern, Coutinho played a part in the Bavarian's 8-2 maraud against Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final in 2020.
He returned to Barcelona the following season, but the club could not provide him with a permanent place. Coutinho returned to the Premier Leauge in January 2022 with Aston Villa. He was reunited with the former club teammate and now his coach, Steven Gerrard.
A small amount of patience with Coutinho would have helped the struggling Barcelona at the moment.
