Barcelona Transfer Rumours: Defensive Help Key for La Blaugrana

If you had to pick a fault with Barcelona, it would probably be their defence. Their consecutive defeats to Real Madrid and then Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League semifinal—their first run of two losses since 2009—showed them to be rather less than organised at the back.

Since the season ended, there have been numerous rumours regarding future fixtures at Camp Nou. Some of them farcical, some deemed too expensive and some just flat-out hilarious (I’m looking at you, Jose Bosingwa).

As the new season approaches, the rumours persist, but they are now a little more realistic. The latest one that just won’t go away seems to involve a bid for Liverpool’s Daniel Agger.

With Brendan Rodgers now at the helm, it was obvious that there would be some changes afoot on Merseyside. Kenny Dalglish’s transfer choices were, shall we say, less than inspired, but Agger predated him, and has has been a solid fixture in the side since 2006. He has also been insistent that he wants to stay at Anfield.

However, as is typical in football, that seems to have gone out of the window over the last 24 hours. It was reported by John Edwards in the Daily Mail today that Barcelona would be the only club that could tempt Agger away from Liverpool:

Agger would certainly bring a level of stability to Barcelona, as his partnership with Martin Skrtel has demonstrated. Tito Vilanova will look to add someone who is unhurried and comfortable on the ball, with Agger fitting that description nicely. He also has the ability to start something on the counter, and he also has a more-than-decent left foot.

The only problem could be the price, which is rumoured to be in the region of £30 million. While it would certainly represent a good return on their initial investment, it would be a detriment to Liverpool as a team.

Agger would probably regret that “YNWA” tattoo, as well.

Alex Song would also find regret to be high on his list of emotions if he were to make the move to Barcelona. Although Song has played as a defensive player in the past, it’s not feasible to employ him on this basis full time.

The success that he has found as a midfielder at Arsenal would be less forthcoming if he was a Barcelona defensive player. Just because it worked with Javier Mascherano is no reason to think that it will work here.

The competition for playing time would affect Song far more in Barcelona. In England, he is guaranteed a starting spot and is an integral part of Arsenal’s continuing bid for the Premier League title.

In Spain, he would be thrown into a rotational system and find himself behind the likes of Mascherano and Carles Puyol. This is very likely to frustrate Song and could lead to him falling out of favour entirely.

What seems certain in all these conjectures is the limited faith that Vilanova seems to have in his homegrown players. Andreu Fontàs and Marc Bartra have yet to prove themselves—that much is true— but it’s not like they’re being given much of an opportunity, either.

The answer could be right under Vilanova’s nose. He just needs to give them the chance.