Barcelona Transfer News: Neymar Hails Arda Turan, Paul Pogba Latest
Barcelona’s latest acquisition Arda Turan has been hailed by Neymar, but the Turkish international has admitted that having to wait until January before playing again is somewhat problematic.
The Catalan giants confirmed the capture of the midfielder from Atletico Madrid this week and their current forward, Neymar, has been quick to give his full backing to the 28-year-old. “Arda Turan is a great player,” the Brazil international told Sport (h/t Mark Doyle of Goal.com). “He is one of the best there is in La Liga. He has great quality and will help us a lot.”
Here’s a look at exactly what the former Atletico Madrid man will add, per WhoScored.com:
Turan will have to wait until January before donning the iconic jersey, however, with Barcelona unable to field any new players because of their transfer sanctions.
The Turkey international has revealed he thinks not playing for six months could be an issue, but that he’s still delighted about what lies ahead, per Ivan San Antonio of Sport:
"Everyone in the world comes from somewhere; I've come from a small part of Turkey to play for the best team in the world. To be able to play for Barça is a deam. All players want to play at Camp Nou, the best stadium I've ever stepped out on.
To not play for all that time is a problem, but I'm not coming to play for six months, but to win titles over five years.
"
Barcelona supporters witnessed firsthand the problems not playing for so long can cause last season. Indeed, last summer’s marquee signing, Luis Suarez, took a while to get into his stride when he returned following a long layoff, before roaring into gear in the second half of the season.
But Turan has been offered a potential solution by Fenerbahce, as board member Ilhan Eksioglu has made an offer to take the player on loan for six months. “Arda will not play in Barcelona until January,” he said on Twitter, per Mark Doyle of Goal.com. “As our president [Aziz Yildirim] said before, he can play for Fenerbahce for six months.”
It’s claimed in the piece that the Fener president did try to sign the former Galatasaray man previously, but he rejected their offer. Indeed, if there was a chance of playing in the Turkish top flight, then surely Turan’s former employers would be desperate to take him back on a temporary basis.
Regardless, when Turan does get up and running for Barca, he’ll be a tremendous acquisition. While there may not be an obvious place for him initially in this team, the midfielder is so adept at fulfilling a variety of roles, he’ll be a key man in Luis Enrique’s squad from January onwards.
Paul Pogba Deal Not Affected by Turan Capture
Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has revealed that the club’s latest acquisition does not close the door on a potential move for Juventus sensation Paul Pogba.
Laporta, in conversation with Mossen Ballarin, per Toni Juanmarti of Sport, reaffirmed his intentions to sign the Frenchman should he be elected as the Camp Nou chief:
"[Turan's] signing is not incompatible with that of Pogba. If we win the elections, we will try to bring Pogba [to the club] this year.
"The key to the signing of Pogba is his agent, Mino Raiola, and we have a good relationship with him. We are convinced that it would be good for Pogba to play at Barca."
As noted in the piece, Pogba has been linked with Barcelona throughout the summer. The Juve star has been majorly impressive at the heart of the Italian champions' side in recent seasons, but in the previous campaign he excelled, turning in a string of vibrant displays as the Serie A giants went so close to winning a historic treble.
James Robson of the Manchester Evening News noted it seems as though whichever team does prise Pogba away from Turin will have to shell out a major amount of money:
The 22-year-old is worth the investment, though, especially for this version of Barcelona. Under the tutelage of Luis Enrique last season the Blaugrana took a lot more risks in possession, revelled on the counter-attack and blitzed teams with their pace, power and ingenuity up front.
Those types of traits suit Pogba perfectly. While the former Manchester United man is a superb technician and a capable passer of the ball, it’s the manner in which he intertwines these abilities with a brute physicality that makes him such a special player. You suspect Barca will be nothing short of insatiable in their endeavours to get him on board.
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