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Having spent the sum of €250 million in the transfer market so far to bolster their already stellar squad, FC Barcelona would be confident in their chances of success heading into next season.
The Blaugrana have invested wisely, strengthening areas of weaknesses, and as it stands, they are arguably the most complete team in all of Europe.
While a lot of their contemporaries still find themselves short staffed in key areas, the Catalans are very much stocked up and raring to go ahead of kickoff for next season.
Every department in the squad has been strengthened, from goalkeeping to attack, and having fallen short of their ambitions last season, Barcelona are leaving no stones unturned in their bid for success for the upcoming season.
Who are these players, and what do they bring to the table at Nou Camp? Not to worry, as in this piece, we shall be highlighting all you need to know about the four new players who were signed by Barcelona in the summer window.
#4 Junior Firpo: Left Back (€18 million from Real Betis)
While there might have been more high profile and celebrated arrivals than his at Camp Nou this summer, the signature of Junior Firpo has arguably been more important than any other signing Barcelona have made in years.
The 22-year-old is a specialist left-back, which helps address a long-standing issue at Barcelona for a while as for far too long, Ernesto Valverde had been without a quality backup to Jordi Alba on the left flank of defense.
Firpo was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before his family moved to Malaga, Spain when he was just six years old. He started playing football at different amateur sides in Spain, signing for Real Betis in 2015 and his impressive performances for Betis prompted his transfer to Barcelona for the sum of €18 million, with a potential €12 million in add-ons.
His arrival would help the the sometimes redundant Jordi Alba to put in extra work to retain his starting shirt, while also giving the 30-year-old the opportunity of being afforded a rest every now and again to maintain his freshness towards the business end of the season.
The Spanish Under-21 international made a name for himself with his displays down the left flank for Los Verdiblancos, making 43 appearances in all competitions for Real Betis in the last two seasons and winning many admirers for his dynamic runs forward.
Indeed, fans of Barcelona had a bird's eye view of Firpo's abilities when he played a starring role in the 4-3 Nou Camp defeat of the Catalans last season, scoring a goal and creating an assist and fans of the club would hope that he brings the same level of performance with him to Barcelona.
#3 Neto: Goalkeeper (€26 million from Valencia)
After spending three years on the Barcelona bench as an understudy to Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Dutch international Jasper Cillessen seemingly had enough and sought a transfer out of the club, with Valencia accruing his services for the sum of €35 million.
For his replacement, the Blaugrana turned to erstwhile Valencia goalkeeper Neto in what was effectively a swap deal, with the Brazilian heading in the opposite direction of Cillessen. The transfer was completed for the sum of €26 million plus a potential €9 million in add-ons, which brings the total value of the deal to the €35 million Valencia paid for Cillessen.
Neto is a 30-year-old Brazilian who has starred in La Liga with Valencia for the last two seasons, having taken in previous stints with Juventus, Fiorentina and Athletico Paranaense.
He starred as Los Che's first choice goalkeeper throughout his stay at the Estadio Mestalla, making 80 appearances in all competitions across two seasons but will have to act as an understudy to ter Stegen at Nou Camp.
Standing at an impressive 1.90 m, Neto is an imposing presence in the box, while his handling and reflexes are relatively steady.
He was a member of the Silver winning Brazilian squad at the 2012 Olympics Games in London, but despite his relatively impressive performance at club level, has just one senior international cap owing to the presence of established goal tenders like Alisson Becker, Bruno Alves and Ederson Moraes ahead of him.
#2 Frenkie de Jong: Midfielder (€75 million from Ajax)
In what was a dream campaign that saw Ajax win a domestic double and produce some unbelievable results in UEFA Champions League, Frenkie de Jong was in the thick on things, controlling proceedings through the middle, which eventually prompted his transfer to Barcelona in January 2019 for the sum of €75 million.
The 22-year-old was born in Gorinchem, a small city in the province of South Holland, with a population of just over 36,000. He started his footballing career when he joined the youth academy of Willem II in 2004, and spent the next decade with the club, before moving on to the youth team of the great Ajax in 2015.
Frenkie de Jong made his senior debut for the Amsterdam outfit in 2015, and went on to cement his place as a regular in the team, making 89 appearances for the Dutch giants in all competitions across the next four years.
Blessed with incredible vision, technique, close dribbling, passing ability and possession retainment, De Jong would blend right in with a Barcelona midfield that has high need for his abilities and indeed, he has shown glimpses of his adaptability in the preseason games he has played so far.
#1 Antoine Griezmann: Forward (€120 million from Atletico Madrid)
Having been publicly ridiculed in their past attempts to sign Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona finally got their man when they triggered the player's release clause with Atletico Madrid by paying the full value of €120 million.
The 28-year-old was born in Macon, France in March 1991, but unlike most of his compatriots, he took a step away from home at a very young age, signing for the Real Sociedad academy in 2005 at the tender age of 14. He continued his development with the youth team for four years, before making the step up to the senior side in 2009.
The next five years at Anoeta were seen as successful enough to prompt a transfer to Atletico Madrid, and another five years under the management of Diego Simeone saw Griezmann further boost his reputation as one of the best forwards in the world, scoring at least 20 goals in every season he spent with Los Rojiblancos and winning two major trophies as well as multiple individual awards.
The French international is also highly established at international level, having made 72 appearances for Les Bleus, scoring 28 goals and winning the World Cup in the process.
He would be bringing a directness and aggressiveness which has been lacking in the Barcelona attack for sometime, while his tireless work ethic would see him track back to help out with defending.
