Why David Alaba would be a useful signing for Barcelona
According to Sport1 (h/t ESPN), Barcelona are one of the few clubs interested in David Alaba of Bayern Munich, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the current season. The player will be free to talk to clubs in January regarding a pre-contract agreement. Chelsea, Real Madrid and Juventus are the other clubs who are looking to sign the player.
Profile
The 28-year-old Austrian defender started his youth career at SV Aspern in 2001 and moved to FK Austria Vienna in 2002. After 6 years in the youth setup, he joined Bayern Munich and was drafted into the youth side.
He rose through the ranks and was promoted to the first-team in 2010 but was loaned to TSG Hoffenheim in the same season. On his return, he was thrust into first-team action and he has not looked back since.
Alaba has had a hugely successful time at Munich, with 2 trebles to boast of along with countless league titles and domestic cups. So far, he has made 389 appearances for the Bavarian giants while scoring 31 and assisting 49 (source – Transfermarkt).
He is also an experienced and vital member of the Austrian national team with 73 games and 14 goals to date.
Barcelona need David Alaba
The Blaugrana are in one of their most important and delicate phases of history. They suffered one of the worst humiliations last season at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The club have since sacked Quique Setien and replaced him with Ronald Koeman.
They have made decent signings like Sergino Dest, Miralem Pjanic and Francisco Trincao etc. In addition to that, they have brought back the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann into the first-team picture. Yet, the squad could still use a few more new faces, especially in defence.
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The left-back and centre-back positions look like they need immediate upgrades. Barcelona can solve both these issues with David Alaba. The Austrian was handed a new role as centre-back and he adapted brilliantly to it. He is also a natural left-back and can play in midfield if required.
Verdict
A player like David Alaba looks like a one-stop solution for Barcelona. He can slot in as a centre-back for the time being until a new player arrives in that position. He can move to left-back, replacing Jordi Alba, who looks past his best.
