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Jordi Alba is having a stellar year at Barcelona. The full-back has already registered 13 assists - more than in any of his previous seven seasons at the club. His well-timed forward runs help draw defenders and create space for others, and his understanding with Lionel Messi is a key element of the team’s attacking play.
The degree to which Ernesto Valverde's team rely on the thrust down the left that Alba provides was made evident by their lacklustre display without him in the first half of their 2-2 draw at home to Valencia on Saturday.
Alba’s performances are providing his representatives with a strong hand in their ongoing contract negotiations with the club. The 29-year-old is reportedly keen to see his salary increase in line with that of fellow Spanish internationals Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets as part of a new five-year deal.
But the talks seem to have stalled. While Barcelona appear willing to commit to a deal of that length, they are some way off meeting Alba’s financial requirements. As Sport reported last week, their first offer was rejected out of hand by the player and his representatives.
Given that Barcelona, as per a recent KPMG report, have the highest annual squad salary of any European club, at €562 million a year, it could be argued that they would be wise not to overspend on placating Alba. He is arguably the best left-back in the world at this moment in time, but he will be 30 in March; by the end of the proposed deal, he would be 35.
Various studies have shown that full-backs and central midfielders cover more distance per match than players in other positions, and that full-backs complete more sprints than anyone. In light of the fact that 27 to 30 are generally considered the peak years for an average footballer, expecting Alba to continue his current output for another five seasons, that too in one of the most physically demanding positions in the game, seems optimistic at best.
Questionable squad planning has left Barcelona without an obvious stand-in for Alba. So even if they do relent and commit to a long-term deal, they will likely need to invest in additional options sooner rather than later.
Earlier this season, Sportskeeda analyst Ninad Singh highlighted five potential replacements for Alba, including the likes of Jose Luis Gaya and Ferland Mendy. Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson would arguably be another prime candidate.
None of those trio would come cheap, but that could be partially offset by paying a lesser salary than Alba is asking for.
The ideal situation would be to offer Alba a shorter deal and use the interim period to develop some of the internal or more cheaply available outside options to eventually supplant him. But with that unlikely to satisfy the player or his representatives, Barcelona have a choice to make.
Do they pay what Alba is asking to retain a player who might just be able to maintain his current performance level for a couple more seasons? Or do they look to the future and shell out for a big-money replacement this summer?
