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When it comes to signing Brazilian players Barcelona are the real deal. Take the case of Romario, Ronaldinho, Dani Alves, Neymar, and Coutinho. There are many more. The latest Brazilian gem to don the Blaugrana colours is Arthur Melo.
Arthur joined Barcelona from Gremio in the summer. To everyone's surprise, he adapted to the nature of European football faster than expected. His playing style reminds the Barcelona fans of their legendary midfielder Xavi. Do we have the correct successor of Xavi in our hands?
His style with the ball is one worth the mention. He is calm, composed and has an excellent distribution of the ball. These are the skills that remind us of the Spanish legend. The truth is Xavi is irreplaceable, but to have someone with some of his traits is a boost for Barcelona's unique style of play.
One might think that he is a product of La Masia! Such is his style. Arthur and Barcelona could be a match made in heaven. His playing style makes us believe that he was destined to play for Barcelona one day.
His performance against Tottenham was excellent. Stats do define how well the player contributes towards the game. He had an excellent pass accuracy of 91% and the player to make the highest number of tackles. Not bad right?
It is too soon to tag him as a future legend of Barcelona but these are definitely some positive signs. As per Opta's tweet, Arthur Melo attempted 142 passes against Valencia (a game he started) the most by a player in the LaLiga this season. The game ended in a draw, but Barcelona had some positives to take from the game in the form of Arthur.
With Barcelona signing Vidal this summer, Arthur's transfer didn't generate much hype. Reports suggest that the Barcelona players and staff are happy the way things have turned out in the case of Arthur.
These are early days but Arthur could be in the plans of Barcelona's future. At just 22, time is with him and if he can keep his head down and concentrate on his game good things are around the corner - for Arthur, Brazil, and Barcelona.
