Does the Lucas Digne signing make sense for Barcelona?

Lucas Digne signed for Barcelona
Lucas Digne in action for PSG

Lucas Digne is one of those perennial 'almost' players. He was almost the first choice left back for PSG, but couldn't quite displace Maxwell at the helm (left-back position) and soon was loaned out to Roma. He has been in the French squad since 2014 World Cup(and actually played a game for them at the finals) but never quite displaced Patrice Evra (who seems to be getting better with age) as the first choice left-back.

Also Read: Neymar: I was afraid of Messi and Barca stars

Now, probably with the biggest move of his career he has joined Barcelona to fight for a place in the queue behind Jordi Alba, who by the way is the first choice for club and country by quite a margin. This represents a very bold decision, as Jordi Alba is considered one of the best in the world, and with the telepathic understanding he has with the likes of Messi and Neymar it is highly unlikely he will displace him from the team.

Also Read: 5 things you probably didn't know about Barcelona's new signing Samuel Umtiti

To be honest, a move to Barcelona is a tempting option for any footballer of the present generation, a promise to play who's who of world football (at least in training), and it's often too good to reject. But, the question has to be asked towards the general direction Luis Enrique at the buy of a back-up left back after the likes of Thomas Vermaelen, Jérémy Mathieu, Umtiti and Adriano all capable of filling in at the same position.

These are worrying signs for Barcelona, especially after they apparently got 'priced out' for a deal for the then Celta Vigo winger Nolito, who was signed by Manchester City for around £19 million (Nope, me neither). Now, let's cast an eye on the other side of the pitch, particularly with Vidal being the only first team right back in the squad. Unless of course, they have something up their sleeve (no I am not talking about dos Santos).

With Dani Alves gone, there seems to be a huge void left at the right back position, with only Sergi Roberto having any kind of experience as a right back in the Barcelona shirt, and I imagine he doesn't see himself there from a long-term point of view. That brings us to a much bigger question about Luis Enrique and his tactics, and what he brings to the club.

The signing of Luca Digne makes absolutely no sense at all, with him being exactly a similar kind of player to Jordi Alba, not allowing him the luxury of a tactical shift during games, like the one Real had a couple of years ago with Marcelo and Coentrão as left backs. or Digne it might be a move made in haste, he was getting regular game time in the Serie A, and if he doesn’t play for Barcelona there is a high chance that his replacement at PSG Layvin Kurzawa takes his national team position.

Lucas Digne is truly what we call a luxury signing in English literature unless he proves me and the world wrong (or Jordi Alba gets injured).

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Edited by Staff Editor