Why Barcelona should cash in on Dani Alves

This might come as a surprise for many, but Dani Alves doesn’t look like the player he was till last season. The Brazilian player has been entertaining the Camp Nou faithful for the last four seasons with his marauding runs on the right flank, and has also been solid in defence. However, he seems to have lost a bit of pace this season, which previously helped him to recover when the opposition counter-attacked.

In the past four seasons, he has scored 33 goals and amazingly amassed over 140 assists, which clearly shows his contributions on the attacking front. However, he looks a shadow of his former self this season. With age catching up with him, it is clear that he won’t get any better, and surely his performance levels will drop in the next year or so. The most worrying thing for the side is that in defence he is not as solid as he used to be, and his contribution in attack is diminishing, as he is yet to open his assists account in La Liga. His crosses and passes are not as accurate as they should be. Now 29, he is still considered to be the best right-back in the world, but surely won’t hang onto that label for long. With big money spenders like Anzhi and PSG showing an interest in the services of the Brazilian, and given the promising performances of young Martin Montoya, it would be wise for Barcelona to cash in on the Brazilian fullback, and try to sign a good centre-back in the January transfer window.