Barcelona agree deal for Dutch star Ibrahim Afellay
There were rumours that the Catalan giants were about to sign a few new players, but no one knew that there was going to be a signing during the January transfer window. The Catalan giants were looking towards the Premier League as they were ready to sign
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas and also Totteham Hotspurs sensation Gareth Bale. Everyone knows what talks took place between Arsenal and Barcelona, as the Catalan giants were about to bag themselves a replacement for Xavi Hernandez. Moreover, Gareth Bale looks
to be a perfect replacement for Eric Abidal, and with a 50 million pounds price tag on Gareth Bale it was difficult for the Spanish champions to sign the Welsh youngster.
The current La Liga title holders have the former Inter Milan full back, Maxwell to replace Eric Abidal on the left, and the Brazilian actually does a fine job while performing his duties on the left flank. With Daniel Alves and Maxwell playing on both the
flanks, it is relatively easy for Guardiola to get them to move up and down the pitch, as both Brazilians have amazingly quick feet and they are good at attacking and also defending.
Since the deal between Arsenal and Barcelona failed, it was obvious that Barcelona had to delve into the transfer market to try and buy a player who gets the job done in terms of pace and finishing, and PSV star Ibrahim Afellay was the one the Catalan giants
were looking for. As David Villa is not really performing extraordinarily on the left flank, Afellay can come up and take up the role of a winger, while Lionel Messi can play on the right flank along with David Villa in the middle. It is obvious that with
a new youngster making way in Barca, players like Bojan Krkic and Pedro Rodriguez are not going to be getting many first team opportunities. Coach Josep Guardiola however knows that in order to win games, the team needs depth in the squad and that is one thing
that the Spanish Champions are lagging at the moment.
There is definitely no replacement for the midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez. Mesut Ozil has moved to Real Madrid and Cesc Fabregas will most probably commit his future to Arsenal and remain a gunner. Javier Mascherano is a player who can perform his duties
in midfield but the Argentinean is a holding midfielder and can only take his position behind central midfielders like Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.
One thing the Catalan giants are lacking at this moment is fitness. The main reason they look so tired on the pitch is because most of them were a part of the World Cup final earlier this year. The team has been playing a lot of football lately and with
do not have enough quality replacements. The inclusion of Dutch youngster Ibrahim Afellay though should allow Guardiola to shuffle his team around a little.
Tags: