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#3 Matheus Fernandes
The situation Matheus is in right now is a very tricky one indeed.
Signed on a five-year contract amounting to €7 million plus €3 million in add-ons from Brazilian outfit Palmeiras, the 22-year-old hasn’t even been officially presented as a Barcelona player yet, which perfectly sums up his predicament.
However, not being unveiled by his club is the least of Matheus’s problems.
With just a handful of minutes against Dynamo Kyiv, Ferencvaros and Juventus in the Champions League, and the misfortune of being repeatedly left out of Ronald Koeman’s 23-man league squad, one can’t help but wonder why Barca signed Matheus at all.
The midfielder was even put on the market to help Barcelona rake in some much-needed cash, but a hamstring injury hampered any hopes of a move away.
Clearly not part of Koeman’s plans, Matheus was even keen to move down to Barcelona’s B team in order to gain some much needed minutes.
But with a squad bulging with talent, even the lower division isn’t an option for the Brazilian. A move to a club able to afford Matheus more time would suit both parties.
#2 Junior Firpo
Junior was brought in to deputize for Jordi Alba, but after nearly two whole seasons it’s safe to say that the 24-year-old hasn’t quite been able to fulfill the task assigned to him.
Being played out of position, including as a right back in the recent Copa del Ray horror show against Sevilla where his poor positioning helped gift former teammate Ivan Rakitic a goal, hasn’t helped his case either.
To be quite fair to Junior, part of his struggles are due to the lack of opportunities afforded to him.
The Spaniard has made just one league start this season during which he has received a scant 147 minutes of game time, but still managed to complete all of his passes while coming off the bench.
At this crucial stage in his career he needs all the games he can get.
A move away might have materialized during the January transfer window, with Milan and Arsenal – who are rumored to have failed with a late bid – among potential suitors, but in the end nothing materialized.
This is possibly due to Junior becoming a father for a second time in December, with a move away not in his young family’s best interests.
The coming months will be crucial for the youngster, who will need to secure a move away from the club to fulfill his undoubted potential if his situation at Barca doesn’t improve.
#1 Miralem Pjanić
After winning numerous plaudits with Juventus, including 4 Serie A titles, 2 Coppa Italia’s, 1 Super Cup and a host of personal allocades including a Champions League Team of the Season award and multiple Serie A Team of the Year honors, Pjanić is a shadow of the player he once was for the Old Lady.
Brought in as a part of a swap deal which saw Arthur go the other way, Pjanić hasn’t been given the chance to fully establish himself at the Blaugrana.
Mostly limited to substituted appearances, this clearly isn’t the situation Pjanić envisioned for himself when he swapped teams.
The Culés haven’t taken to him either, and view Barca’s decision to swap Arthur – who is excelling at Juventus – for an aging midfielder as bizarre.
The penalty miss in the Copa del Ray win over Cornella hasn’t helped his case either.
Pjanić clearly isn’t a part of Koeman’s plans, and with stiff competition in midfield as well as a host of talented youngsters waiting in the wings, the 30-year-old Bosnian really needs to consider his situation as he enters the twilight years of his career.
