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The Catalan giants are the Champions of Spain. They have lost only one game in La Liga last season and won the title with ease. They played with a star-studded lineup, but the same cannot be said about their bench strength.
They need upgrades in certain areas of the pitch as some of the players in their squad have failed to match the standards required at the Camp Nou. Their performances have put a lot of pressure on other players in the squad.
They need a squad overhaul this summer as some of the players don’t deserve to be in the team for the next season. They need to bring in some world-class players to challenge the top European teams.
Without much ado, let’s take a look at the players who should be axed from Barcelona squad next season.
#5 Lucas Digne
The French fullback had a phenomenal 2015/16 when he starred for AS Roma during his loan spell. He played 40 games for the club and finished the season with 3 goals and 5 assists. The Catalan giants signed him from Paris Saint-Germain in 2016 for a fee of around £13.8 million.
The left-back has made only 11 starts in La Liga and UEFA Champions League in 2017/18. He has struggled for game time at the Camp Nou and could not impress when given the opportunity. The 24-year-old found it hard to adapt to Barcelona’s system and their ways of playing football.
He lacked conviction going forward and could not contribute to Barcelona’s attacking play. He has been the second choice left-back for Valverde this season and it will be really hard for him to dislodge Jordi Alba next season.
#4 Alexis Vidal
The Spaniard has made only 15 La Liga starts for Barcelona, ever since his move from Sevilla in 2015. The 28-year-old has made only 4 league starts this season and played only 455 minutes of La Liga football.
He was signed for the role of a right-back and expected to play a huge role after the departure of Dani Alves to PSG. However, Vidal struggled a lot to improved his defensive aspects of the game and eventually lost his place to Sergi Roberto.
The arrival of Nelson Semedo from Benfica in 2017 has hit the final nail in the coffin. Vidal became Ernesto Valverde’s third choice right-back and was excluded from match-day squads for the most part of 2017/18 season.
#3 Paco Alcacer
Paco Alcacer joined the club for a reported fee of €30 million in 2016. He was signed as a backup option to Messi, Suarez, and Neymar, but did not get enough opportunities to play. Both Enrique and Valverde hesitated to give him a longer run in the team and used him only as a stop-gap option.
The 24-year-old has made only eight La Liga starts in 2017/18 and scored 4 goals. Though he was good in parts, he did not produce anything remarkable and struggled to make any real impact in his two years stay at the club.
He certainly did not reach the level that was expected of him. Barcelona should look to replace him with an experienced forward, who can share the goalscoring burden with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi next season.
#2 Thomas Vermaelen
The Belgian international is one of the strangest buys by the Blaugrana, with his history of injuries. Barcelona bought him in 2014 when he only made seven starts for Arsenal in the 2013/14 Premier League campaign.
Vermaelen made only one La Liga start in his debut season and six in his next. He spent the 2017/18 season at AS Roma and made just 4 starts in Serie A. Though he made 14 La Liga appearances for Barcelona in 2017/18, he was not able to play at his best.
He will be 33 in November and Barcelona cannot rely on him for next season. They need to get rid of him and buy a quality centre-back to support Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti. Though they have Yerry Mina to play as a centre-back, they need an experienced defender to compete in Europe.
#1 Andre Gomes
The €50 million signing from Valencia was arguably the biggest flop for Barcelona in 2017/18. It was a horror campaign for the 24-year-old, who also lost his place in the Portugal team for the World Cup in Russia.
Andre Gomes has made only six starts for Barcelona in La Liga last season and failed to register a single goal or assist. He struggled to keep his composure and his passing in the final third was wayward.
He was awfully out of form in his debut season at the Camp Nou and made quite a few mistakes on the field. Though he got better in 2017/18, he could not play consistently at the highest level. He is completely out of confidence at the moment and Barcelona cannot afford to give him another season. It is also better for him to make a move this summer and play some regular football to regain his form.
