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Sergio Busquets has been the world's best holding midfielder for years now - proving himself an integral part of Barcelona's most successful periods in recent history, their playing style has changed significantly in recent seasons. Although they usually still have more than 50% possession, they don't dominate as much as they used to with the ball at their feet.
Busquets is still very good on-the-ball, but is very slow and his defensive duties can somewhat be negated as a direct result of that. In these conditions, it'd be much more useful to have someone who is faster in transition and therefore, is able to contribute more both in attack and defensively.
Less than a month ago, Busquets signed a new contract with Barca, keeping him at the club until 2023. Undoubtedly a club legend, it's clear nonetheless that in the near future, he could be making more appearances from the substitutes' bench. In the next few transfer windows, the club's board should look towards signing his long-term heir and with that in mind, here are three players who could easily fill the Busquets role well in future.
#3 Rodri (Atletico Madrid)
The first player on this list is Atletico Madrid central midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez - known simply as Rodri. Having originally began his career in Atletico's youth academy, he joined Villarreal in 2015, quickly establishing himself as one of their most important players.
This summer, he made his return to Madrid in a deal worth €20m, which could prove to be a real steal in the long-term. A very similar player to Busquets in terms of technical abilities, he crucially has much more acceleration over both short and longer distances. Able to bring the ball out of defence by skipping beyond two or three opposition players, his excellent passing range and intelligent movement help him to dictate play well.
Also, his tactical awareness is among the game's best already and will continue to improve under Diego Simeone's guidance. With all of that in mind, it's unlikely that Barca can sign him for less than a premium price, given the two clubs are direct rivals.
#2 Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Frenkie de Jong is another very interesting player worth Barcelona considering as Busquets' long-term successor. The 21-year-old Dutchman is a generational talent who has all the abilities needed to become a legend in the game.
One of his best attributes in getting the ball from defence into midfield quickly, a great asset for modern-day defensive midfielders. He has the technical skillset to orchestrate play well, while he's calm on the ball, rarely makes mistakes and is consequently a joy to watch.
Many top European sides have been monitoring his progress and it appears likely that he'll finally make a move once the current campaign is concluded next year - Premier League champions Manchester City are among those thought to be heavily interested. It will be tough for Barcelona to sign him given just how much interest there is over his services, but nothing good ever comes easily, so it'll be interesting to see who the lucky beneficiaries are.
#1 Harry Winks (Tottenham Hotspur)
During England's recent 3-2 win over Spain, Tottenham's Harry Winks proved he has the potential to compete against world-class midfield counterparts. A very dynamic player who excels at connecting the midfield to attacking areas from deep, he might be precisely the type of figure this Barcelona side needs - someone intelligent, self-assured and aggressive in the right sense.
An excellent passer of the ball and a clever dribbler, he is also press resistant and that makes him perfect for Barcelona's playing style. If he continues progressing at this rate, Spurs will find themselves another talented youngster who is wanted by clubs across Europe.
Barca should consider signing him, to avoid the mistake they made by passing up the opportunity for Luka Modric in the past. He has since flourished at rivals Real Madrid - there's no reason why the Spanish playing style will not work for Winks and allow him to excel too.
