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Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo’s transfer to Juventus has caused a storm of uproar among the Blaugrana faithful. The 23-year-old Brazilian was brought in from Gremio in the summer of 2018 amidst much excitement and fanfare. He was hailed asBarcelona’s new Xavi Hernandez, a holding midfielder who liked to hold on to the ball and create smooth passing patterns to unpick a defence. Arthur was going to be the future of Barcelona, or at least, that is how it was supposed to be.
What led Barcelona to this situation?
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu needs funds to bring in Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan, and the Argentina forward’s eye-watering fee of € 111 million has set the Blaugrana head into action. He needs a lot of money to make Martinez's signing and has been on the lookout for a scapegoat to sell in the form of Nelson Semedo, Ousmane Dembele, Ivan Rakitic and now Arthur.
Bartomeu’s decision to sell the Brazilian comes at a time when he and his board are in great disarray. The 2019-20 season has been a tumultuous one for Barcelona. Their away form has been poor, and their chances of winning the La Liga title looks very slim, with Real Madrid looking at their imperious best.
Bartomeu has also been hurt by situations outside his control. The global COVID-19 pandemic has seen the Blaugrana suffering losses to the tune of € 6 million. Unlike other clubs, FC Barcelona is a democratic institution with presidential elections deciding who takes charge of the club in the coming years. With Barcelona elections coming up in 2021, Bartomeu wants to set his image clean, and give himself a shot at an unlikely re-election.
Bartomeu attempts to ameliorate his transfer mistakes
The Barcelona president has not been miserly when it comes to spending money. He has spent a combined total of € 385 million on the acquisitions of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann.
It would not have been much of a problem if these expensive investments had not gone to waste. Phillipe Coutinho was sent on loan to Bavaria after his less than impressive displays; Dembele, although brilliant in short bursts, has spent most of his time nursing injuries. Griezmann still continues to feature for the first team, but his abominable record of 1 goal from his last 13 La Liga appearances needs little explanation.
Bartomeu’s other signings Frenkie de Jong, Nelson Semedo and Arthur Melo have been impressive, though.
But still, Bartomeu’s time at the Nou Camp came with a few other blunders too. The appointment of Ernesto Valverde did not go down well, considering the former Athletic Bilbao manager’s brand of pragmatic but insipid football. His tenure will always be tainted by the humiliating back-to-back losses in the Champions League at the hands of Roma and Liverpool respectively.
In a general sense, Bartomeu’s presidency itself has been less than ideal. Barcelona as a club lost its identity and style of play; and the president must take some blame for wasting Lionel Messi’s final few years at the Nou Camp.
Why Arthur’s transfer to Juventus makes sense for Barcelona
It will be universally acknowledged by any Blaugrana faithful that Barcelona is in need of a good striker right now. The last two performances from Luis Suarez left a lot to be desired. His poor finishing has been there for everyone to see, with one of his shots almost ending near the corner flag against Athletic Bilbao. Suarez will definitely get better with more game-time, but at 33 years of age, it is surely one of his last few seasons at the Nou Camp.
Then comes the question of Antoine Griezmann, who although is a striker, hardly ever seems to contribute in an attacking sense. He is a hard-working player who chases down opponents, but he also needs to contribute in terms of goals and assists.
It has also to be kept in mind that Griezmann is not a natural striker. He is more of a second-striker, or a player who likes to play alongside a pure striker. In the French team, he likes to play behind Olivier Giroud or any other centre-forward for that matter.
At Atletico Madrid, he often played his best when deployed alongside Diego Costa, Kevin Gameiro or Fernando Torres. In short, Griezmann is not a natural striker.
Martin Braithwaite is the only other natural striker Barcelona has alongside Luis Suarez. Although he is a good player to have, Barcelona could do with the qualities of Lautaro Martinez.
At 22, Martinez easily has ten good seasons left in him, and should the Blaugrana add him now to their ranks, it could also spell well for the Argentina national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Lautaro Martinez is a natural striker, and he has already shown his qualities by notching up a Champions League goal at the Nou Camp.
A lot of Barcelona fans want to see a future Barcelona midfield consisting of Frenkie de Jong and Arthur Melo. While that is a good pairing in itself, Arthur’s departure could open up opportunities for La Masia graduates, especially Riqui Puig, who completely changed the complexion of the game after coming on in the 56th minute against Athletic Bilbao.
In fact, ironically enough, it was Arthur Melo whom Puig replaced, and it proved to be a very good move. Arthur’s departure will also surely open the doors for Carles Alena. Sergi Roberto, who is a natural midfieder turned full-back, could also come back to his original position if Arthur departs.
Miralem Pjanic’s role at Barcelona
The arrival of Miralem Pjanic could actually be a blessing in disguise for Barcelona. The recent performances of Sergio Busquets have made it clear that the 31-year-old defensive midfielder needs some rest, and age may finally be catching up with him.
Right now, the Blaugrana does not have a natural replacement in the defensive midfield position where Busquets is always deployed. Pep Guardiola thought about resolving this problem when he brought in Javier Mascherano from Liverpool in 2010. If Busquets needed a backup then at 21 years of age, he certainly needs a backup now ten years later.
Athough Pjanic himself is also of the same age as Busquets, the current Juventus player would provide a much-needed backup to Barcelona’s number five, and also let the Spanish World Cup winner take a breather from time to time. Over the years, Pjanic has shown himself to be a reliable player, having amassed 115 appearances for Juventus since arriving from AS Roma in 2016.
Pjanic also played well in Rome, playing 159 games for the capital side that saw him being included in the Serie A team of the year for the 2015-16 season. In 2019, The Guardian ranked Pjanic in the 50th spot in its list of the world's top 100 footballers. Surely, he cannot be a total catastrophe for Barcelona.
Therefore, the Barcelona fans must remain calm and hopeful because all is not lost. At 23 now, Arthur still has time on his side. He could remain at Juventus for five years, and he would still have time to play another five years for Barcelona should the Camp Nou outfit ever get their hands on him again.
It's a shame that Arthur could not stay at Barcelona for a longer duration, but we have to look at the positives and move on.
