5 Players to Replace Ivan Rakitic If He Leaves Barcelona During Transfer Window
Barcelona's new year is already proving a testing one, with a tough opening couple of matches yet to yield a victory and rumours growing that boss Luis Enrique may depart at the end of the season.
However, one of the pillars of the team may also leave the Camp Nou, with midfielder Ivan Rakitic left out of the squad once more against Villarreal amid rumours he is set for a departure in January, possibly to Manchester City, according to Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List (via AS).
Rakitic has been a mainstay of the team over the last couple of successful campaigns, and he would leave a big gap in the regular XI.
Here, we identify some of the players who could replace him and help Barcelona challenge for honours in the future.
Promote from Within
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Before considering where Barcelona could spend up to £30 million or more, it's incumbent on them to see if there are already solutions available at the Camp Nou.
In terms of valuation, Andre Gomes would probably be the first player Luis Enrique turns to, but while his technical skill set is probably the best in the midfield zone (excluding first-choice picks Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets), his impact on matches has been disappointingly limited in his debut season.
The Portugal international has been just as inconsistent in the final third as he was with Valencia, and Barcelona are unlikely to get as good a return in end product from him as Rakitic offered.
Arda Turan offers goals but less guile, while Denis Suarez doesn't have the elite talent required of a first-teamer—but the least-fashionable option would probably offer the best balance for the team: more game time for Rafinha.
The 23-year-old has the aggression and determination in his game to stand out as something different for the team. He also has a good goalscoring record this season when fit and has had to wait a long time for his chance to come.
The Brazil international isn't perhaps the best player around to replace Rakitic, but he might just be the most effective all-round option Barca have to bring tactical balance and add firepower at the same time.
The alternative would be to invest in a new right-back and push Sergi Roberto back into midfield.
Suso
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Barcelona can usually have their pick of the game's finest players, but as the signings of Denis Suarez and Paco Alcacer showed, they like to buy Spanish when possible, boosting their quota and bringing in names who are well-known to fans and can be dominant on the domestic stage.
Suso is finally becoming a player who fits that bill, with the talented attacking midfielder managing a breakthrough season at AC Milan under Vincenzo Montella after years of not quite shining at Liverpool and Genoa.
Now 23, he's featuring for Milan from the right side of their three-man attack, showing the hallmarks of his game—incisive passing, running at defenders and getting shots away—with more consistency than before.
He has five goals and six assists in Serie A to date and is set for a career-best campaign, but his upbringing in Spain youth international teams was often playing centrally, either as a No. 8 or No. 10.
At Barca, that ability to rove forward, pick a pass on the move and always be looking to get a shot away would make him well-suited to the Rakitic role. Being left-footed, he would still be playing in the right channel, making angles to shoot or clip in short crosses much more favourable.
He's not elite and is unproven in the long term at the highest level, but he's finally making good on his undoubted talent, and his price tag could be a lot higher one year or 18 months from now.
Manu Trigueros
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There is no need for an introduction to Manu Trigueros' talents—Barcelona have just had another firsthand look at him, as he and his Villarreal team-mates came within a last-minute Lionel Messi free-kick of making it back-to-back defeats for the Blaugrana.
Trigueros has everything required for a central midfielder to excel at the highest level of the game, other than a reputation as an elite player.
He's hardworking, tackles and tracks back with good positional sense, has a fantastic range of passing, strikes the ball at goal from long range and performs tirelessly. Villarreal are usually in the running for UEFA Champions League spots and cup finals, and Trigueros plays almost every match.
It would be a surprise for Barca to go for him, perhaps, but whichever top team eventually takes the plunge on the 25-year-old will get an eight-out-of-10 performer every weekend.
Marco Verratti
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For so long, Marco Verratti has seemed like a Barcelona player who simply wasn't wearing a Barcelona shirt.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfield metronome has perhaps always been envisaged as an eventual Busquets replacement as the holding player, rather than a progressive No. 8. However, he could play the Rakitic role with tremendous ability now, before regressing downfield later on if required.
Consistent with his passing, blessed with great vision and execution in possession and linked with the Catalan club for several transfer windows now, by Sport among others, an eventual Verratti move to Barcelona would surprise nobody but would have a massive impact on the way the team plays.
Philippe Coutinho
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There's a reason why Barcelona have been so heavily linked to Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho in recent months: He's the best fit for the role and one of the finest talents in the game at present.
The Catalan club have clearly identified the Brazil international as a good option for the side, irrespective of Rakitic staying or going, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has suggested Barca should look elsewhere, per the Mirror's David Maddock.
Even so, it's a well-worn path from Anfield to the Camp Nou, with Javier Mascherano and Luis Suarez most recently making the switch, and Coutinho's game would be a fine fit for the Liga champions.
Like Suso, the 24-year-old plays as a wide forward—left side rather than right, still cutting in—but he has also shone from a central role, perhaps especially as a No. 8 in Coutinho's case.
With room to break into, runners ahead of him and his penchant for shooting repeatedly at goal, he's the player with the potential to surpass what Rakitic has given Barcelona over the past few seasons. His longstanding friendship with Neymar, a team-mate at international level for Brazil, is another positive.
Coutinho and Verratti would both represent enormous outlays to capture, and they are among the best options for different reasons. For the current iteration of Barcelona and the needs they have, though, the Liverpool man stands out as the best choice.
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