Why Arda Turan Wouldn't Be the Right Fit for Barcelona

Arda Turan's name has popped up in dispatches over the last few days with rumours suggesting that Barcelona could be the next destination for the hardworking Turk.

Turan himself did nothing to dampen the rumours issuing a tweet at the weekend, which cryptically read:

Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barca's outgoing president, has apparently made a secret deal for a midfielder, per Sport via (Football Espana). The report said a player is already lined up to sign for the club if Bartomeu retains his post after the July 18 election.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that the player in question is Atletico Madrid's Turan.

With the Catalans seemingly looking for a more aggressive type of midfielder as their next purchase, Turan certainly makes sense on a financial level, given that he would come in at approximately half the price of Juventus' Paul Pogba.

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

Turan's buyout clause is set at €41 million, whereas Sport is reporting that Barca will make an official offer to Juve on Wednesday of €90 million for the ex-Manchester United youngster.

Despite the initial cost savings, the 28-year-old isn't really the sort of player to integrate into this Barca side.

For a start, his numbers are very poor when compared to his contemporaries.

Joseph Walker of ESPN FC noted: "His goalscoring return is paltry, notching just 13 in 127 La Liga appearances during four seasons with the club, while he has only directly assisted 18 league goals over that same period."

In the same time frame, Ivan Rakitic has scored 34 goals and notched 42 assists, per WhoScored.com. That's the kind of difference Turan would be expected to make if he were to make the move to Catalonia. A difference that has, frankly, been beyond him to this point.

Discipline is also a problem for a player with a hair-trigger temper. Thirty-three yellow cards in four seasons is far too many, and arguably, if you take away his aggressive streak, Turan isn't half the player.

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Throwing boots at assistant referees really isn't the proper way to express your dissatisfaction, either.

Diego Simeone enjoys that side of his game, however, and it's clear that he has been a very important part of Atleti's recent successes. 

But the Barca model is entirely different, and in many respects, his manner of play would become impotent in that environment.

He can hold, carry the ball in possession as needed and isn't afraid of a tackle or two, but there has to be more than that to his game for him to become a success under Luis Enrique.

Turan has won plaudits to this point precisely because his game is suited to the style Simeone wishes to foster at the Vicente Calderon, which is very much up and at 'em, getting in the faces of the opposition and mixing it up a bit.

While that may not sit well with the purists, there's little doubt that it can be, and has been, effective.

Just not at Barcelona.

Looking at his skill set objectively, Chelsea would arguably be a better fit.

It's also worth noting at this point that Turan hasn't always pulled his weight, a fact outlined by Walker: "He is too often guilty of being on the periphery too much, a fact reflected by manager Diego Simeone's decision to withdraw him in 19 of his 28 league starts last campaign, primarily when things were just not going his way."

Pogba is a far more expensive proposition at this stage, but he can't be accused of being on the periphery. And at just 22, there remains huge scope and potential for improvement in his game. 

Longer term, he therefore represents far better value than Arda Turan.