Merits and demerits of Barcelona signing Arturo Vidal

After three trophy-laden seasons at Bayern Munich, Chilean international Arturo Vidal has traded Allianz Arena for the Camp Nou in an unforeseen transfer worth about €20m.

The 31-year-old midfielder is a serial winner at both club and international level, and will bring added experience to an already experienced Barcelona squad.

His transfer came as a shock to many, not least because his direct and combative style of play goes in direct contrast with Barcelona's possession-based pattern.

However, Vidal showed in his single season under Pep Guardiola where he was utilized effectively, that he can adapt to a similar system obtainable to that at Barcelona, as his multidimensional skill set enables him to blend in with almost any style of play.

Here is a quick look at some of the merits and demerits of this particular transfer:

Merits

Arturo Vidal is the quintessential definition of a box to box midfielder, he is a direct runner and effective carrier of the ball, and will offer a different dimension to the Barcelona midfield, similar to what the departed Paulinho did, albeit on a much more productive level.

His effectiveness in both boxes makes him a useful addition to any team, and his aggression will provide a mean streak to the rather meek Barcelona team, as Arturo Vidal has shown throughout his career that he is not averse to getting into the odd tackle or two.

He also contributes meaningfully to his team's attacks, finding the net on 22 occasions across all competitions in his three seasons with Bayern Munich.

He will most likely slot into a midfield three alongside Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic, with Busquets doing what he has done best for the last decade; winning back possession and initiating attacks for his team.

Rakitic will be the progenitor in chief of coordinating the midfield operations, while Vidal would be the go-to man in linking defence with attack.

His ball carrying specialism would be a unique advantage for Barcelona, as arguably nobody else in the team apart from Messi possesses this unique ability.

Vidal has a blistering shot and accuracy from distance, and this could come in handy in breaking down teams who sit back and defend deep, allowing Barcelona have all the possession.

Vidal is now an injury prone player

Demerits

His signing, however, represents a risk on the part of Barcelona for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, at 31 years old, Vidal probably has just a few years of elite professional football left in him, and alongside Rakitic and Busquets represents an ageing Barcelona midfield on the wrong side of thirty.

He is also becoming an increasingly injury prone player, as all the years of aggressiveness and tough tackling has begun to take its toll, with Vidal missing a total of 123 days last season for Bayern Munich due to injury.

Vidal's short-fused nature on the field of play also translates into his personal life, and his signing would do little to aid Barcelona in trying to build back its core values and image of being 'more than just a club' (which it has lost with some morally questionable decisions over the years).

Vidal comes with a lot of previous baggage, including multiple fines and suspensions for turning up drunk for both Chile and Juventus during team training, getting arrested for confronting the Police as a U20 player, initiating and participating in a bar fight, but to name a few.

However, his signing is a real short-term one by Barcelona, as his three-year contract shows, and despite all the cynicism over his transfer, it should be recalled that similar doubts were cast over Paulinho's arrival, and the Brazilian largely silenced his critics.

As his new coach Ernesto Valverde said, Vidal is a warrior who will bring energy to Barcelona, and despite all the off-field antics and advancement in age, Barcelona will undeniably benefit from having a proven winner like him in their ranks.