5 replacements for Luis Suárez at Barcelona

It feels strange saying this but Luis “El Pisotlero” Suárez’s time seems to be up at FC Barcelona less than 4 seasons after joining.

A £64.98m signing from Liverpool in 2014, the Uruguayan became the last piece of the MSN; Lionel Messi, Suárez himself & Neymar trinity that briefly threatened to destroy all in its path.

In the last two seasons, the prolific Uruguayan seems to have lost the mojo which made him one of the best strikers in the last decade.

Gone are the sharpness, incisive movement, intelligence and all-around menace he carried with him as he now trudges along on the pitch, hardly getting involved and missing a hatful of chances.

With the G.O.A.T, Lionel Messi also in his early 30s, now would be a good time for the Blaugrana to refresh their forward line.

Here are five potential Barca-quality forwards that the board should be looking at:

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#5 Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen & Germany)

The German trickster has the qualities to grow into the Suarez role for Barca

It seems redundant to describe Brandt as a rising star given how many games he has played for Bayer Leverkusen since his debut in 2014.

A young German international whose fresh-faced mien belies a devilish trickster who loves nothing more than to run at defenders and cause havoc to the opposition's backline.

Capable of playing on either flank or behind a striker, Brandt’s intelligence and dribbling skills would make him a perfect fit for a Barca frontline renowned for its fluidity and interplay.

Playing alongside another young prodigy like Ousmane Dembélé and the experienced genius of Leo Messi, Brandt’s qualities will be given the perfect platform as while more will be demanded from him, the presence of other, more established stars would take away some of the pressure and give the youngster room to grow.

Parallels can be drawn between the qualities Brandt possess and those of more established winger/playmaker/strikers like Alexis Sanchez, Neymar and even Messi himself. He will not be a like-for-like replacement for the Uruguayan Suarez but he will be just as effective in a variety of positions.

Given his ceiling, a price of £55m should be enough to prise him from the Bay Arena.

#4 Maximilian Philipp (Borussia Dortmund & Germany)

Max is a rapidly improving player and can be a cost-effective replacement for the Uruguayan

A predator who will only become even more so as he grows, Phillip is one whose talent still seems to be simmering and is yet to get his breakout season.

A recent €20m plus bonuses transfer to Die Schwarzgelben (The Black and Yellows) as Borussia Dortmund are known despite having less than 100 appearances for SC Freiburg hints at his special nature.

Given Dortmund’s track record with young attacking talent in the last decade, the fact that sporting director Micheal Zorc was willing to pay so high for him suggests that comments about Philipp being the new “Marco Reus” isn’t just idle chatter.

Capable of drifting in from the left or playing as a striker, he is quick, intelligent and a hustler who strives to help his team out of difficult circumstances-- he boasts of attributes he shares in common with the man he is supposed to replace.

He still has a lot of growing up to do as regards his finishing, approach play and other elements of his game but he is at the right club for his development and will be Barca-ready in a couple of years (all things being equal).

#3 Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao & Spain)

The Spanish Messi needs the step up that is Barcelona to fine-tune his abilities

Not since Gaizka Mendieta have the Cules gone as gaga over a Basque player as they did over the pint-sized dynamo from Pamplona; Muniain a couple of years ago.

His arrival on the scene during the ground-laying era of Joaquín Caparrós as Athletic Bilbao’s coach was met with much acclaim and applause as he was dubbed the “Basque Messi” by the Spanish press.

Pacey, intelligent, capable of great moments and a hard worker, Muniain is now 25 years of age and eager to move on from the comforts of home and go on to achieve much more at a club like Barcelona.

He is capable of much more than he has achieved at San Mames and will need to get regular playing time at a well-situated club like Barca so as to get the attention of the national team’s selectors. It’s incredible to note that a player with his skill set has only played a game for the national team.

Shorter than Suárez but just as effective when it comes to harrying opponents, finding space for shots and playing in tandem with his fellow forwards.

His goal scoring needs a lot of work as it has not been his strongest asset and if he is to replace an equally misfiring striker like Suárez, lots of improvements will be needed.

However, his experience and room for improvement mean that a purchasing club like FC Barcelona would get to see the best of Iker if he signs for them.

#2 Anthony Martial (Manchester United & France)

Tony M has stagnated under Jose Mourinho but has the ability to fit in at Barca

The boy wonder, the kid genius, the wiz who could do it all; these were just some of the appellations that have been used to describe Martial.

He has aready been dubbed the new Thierry Henry (before the emergence of another Henry-like kid genius in Kylian Mbappé).

Big things have been expected of Tony ever since he broke into the first team at AS Monaco. His subsequent £58m move to Manchester United under the Louis Van Gaal era raised the level of expectations with the news about some ludicrous clauses in the contract like the Ballon d’Or clause only serving as fuel for the hype fire.

Emerging from what looks like a golden era for talented French forwards, he seems to have stalled under Jose Mourinho and a move to a different environment like the Nou Camp would make sense.

Skillful and blessed with electric pace, vision and strength, Martial would be an awesome replacement for Suárez as of all the players on this list, he shares the most similarities with the Uruguayan.

Able to man either flank or play as the main striker, he would not come cheap as Manchester United would be determined to recoup their initial investment but playing alongside Messi will bring out the best in the French international.

A fully fit and motivated Martial would give the Cules an idea of what could have been had Henry joined the club earlier in his career.

#1 Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City & Brazil)

The star boy, Jesus has the potential to be as good/better than Suarez has been

A straight fit for the position to be vacated by Suárez, Jesus is the youngest player on this list and the best fit for Barcelona if El Pistolero eventually leaves.

The 20-year-old native of São Paulo has had a meteoric rise to the top of Brazilian and world football in a very short time, a testament to his abilities and temperament.

Like all young Brazilian kids who move to Europe very early in their careers, Euro-centric pundits argued that the kid would find it difficult to make the step up to a “tougher” league like the Premier League.

The cocky, always smiling Jesus has gone about proving them wrong as he has taken to football in England like a duck to water since his €32m move to Manchester City in January 2017.

Under the tutelage of Barca legend, Pep Guardiola, the electric youngster has scored 15 goals in just 26 games for the Citizens.

When juxtaposed against his tally of 8 goals in 16 games for the Canarinho of Brazil, the picture is one of a young man who has the world at his feet and will only get better.

He will cost the Blaugrana a pretty penny as Manchester City do not need to sell but he is guaranteed to be as good as Suarez has been for the team.