Why Sergi Samper Is Absolutely Vital to Barcelona's Future and Must Not Be Sold

Sergio Busquets is loved by Barcelona supporters and his club team-mates alike. But one could be forgiven for thinking about him in a different way.

Sergi Samper is a talented youngster who plays for Barcelona B, but the club's current first-choice holding midfielder is blocking the 20-year-old's route to the first team. Of course, Samper doesn't really hold that against Busquets. In fact, he's doing everything he can to learn from him, like anyone worth their salt would.

On Barcelona TV, Samper showed the level of detail he has taken in studying Busquets' game, as you can see in this ,.

It shows the dedication he has at perfecting his art, one of many attributes Samper boasts.

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Anyone who saw him perform on the pre-season tour would have expected him to play a decent role for Barcelona this season.

Luis Enrique gave Samper his debut for the first team last season, against Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League, and he impressed.

Samper's passing range is already wide, accurate and impressive, while his footwork and ball control are also impressive. Like Busquets, he can get himself out of trouble with drag-backs and little turns.

But the man he is trying to replace is 27 and going nowhere. Busquets has five or more years left in him at the top level, which impedes Samper's chances of breaking into the first team.

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The 20-year-old has also been compared to Pep Guardiola, Andrea Pirlo and Xavi Hernandez, and while he can play slightly further forward, it seems apparent he will be best in the deepest midfield position.

Barcelona are reliant on Busquets at the moment. With injuries to Rafinha, Andres Iniesta and Sergi Roberto, three of the top four most used players in their squad are midfielders.

Busquets and Javier Mascherano have each played over 1,000 minutes, while Ivan Rakitic is close on 949, per Sport.

It makes sense that Samper should be the man to relieve Busquets when appropriate, for example in the upcoming Copa del Rey game against Villanovense.

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But it seems that Gerard Gumbau has risen above Samper in Lucho's pecking order.

Ivan San Antonio says for Sport that it's because of his quiet nature and so Lucho can learn more about Gumbau:

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Pep Segura, technical secretary of the B team and the Junior A side, claimed on Sunday's Hat-trick Barca program on Esport3 that the reason is because "Luis Enrique wants to learn more about Gerard, while he already knows Samper well."

The coach himself rejected the question, visibly annoyed, when asked about the two players at press conferences. The reality, beyond interpretations, is that Gumbau, quietly, has crept into the dynamics of the first team, and probably as well as his football, his quiet nature also has something to do with Luis Enrique's decision.

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Back in July, Samper said: "Barca are the club of my life and if I can, I would like to stay here forever."

However, lately he seems to have changed his tune. In the summer, he rejected moves to England, per ESPN, but given his lack of opportunities for the first team, it would be no surprise if he decided to leave.

But Barcelona should not sell him. Samper has come up through the ranks since the age of six, captaining the club at every level, with the obvious exception of the first team.

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He looks like the type of player who would flourish at the club and, like Alen Halilovic at Sporting Gijon, would benefit from a loan spell at another La Liga side.

Selling him would be a terrible idea, no matter the fee prospective buyers from the Premier League offer for him.

Consider the lack of excellent defensive midfielders in the world right now.

Busquets, Chelsea's Nemanja Matic, despite his poor form, and Philipp Lahm, despite being a full-back, are probably the best around at the moment.

There are not a lot of them about, so parting ways with one who has the potential to be the best would be a foolish move.