Why Barcelona need to up their interest in Thiago Almada
According to Crack Deportivo (h/t Daily Express), Barcelona have joined the race for the signature of Velez Sarsfield teenager Thiago Almada.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has been earning rave reviews in Argentina following his impressive displays for Velez this season. Almada has scored 5 goals and provided 2 assists in 25 appearances for the Argentinian club, giving a clear idea of his talent.
Almada’s eye-catching displays this term for Velez have now earned him comparisons to Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and Manchester City midfielder David Silva.
With the Almada’s performances improving with time, La Liga giants Barcelona are now in the mix for the highly-rated midfielder’s signature. However, Almada recently signed a four-year contract with Velez, which includes a £22.3million release clause.
Predominantly an attacking midfielder, Almada is also equally comfortable playing across both the flanks, as he has done for Velez this season.
Almada can offer Barcelona creativity in the middle
Barcelona have missed a creative playmaker in their midst following the departure of Andres Iniesta last summer. The Spanish side roped in Frenkie de Jong from Ajax. However, he plays a little deep and is more of a central midfielder. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi remains the side’s top assist-provider with 14 to his name in the league.
Apart from him, none of the midfielders has impressed. Quique Setien’s side play with a three-man midfield that mostly involves De Jong, Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets. Among the three, Vidal and Busquets are more defensive-minded players, while De Jong occupies the creative role.
However, De Jong has still not hit his peak, managing just two goals and as many assists this season despite featuring 27 times for them in the league. That said, Barcelona could do with a creative player like Almada, as it would ease the burden on Messi, who can concentrate more on his goal-scoring exploits.
Though they are currently atop the La Liga table, having a creative player like Almada would only help in the future. Hence, they should up their interest in the Argentine teenager and bring him to Camp Nou.
Read more:
- Why Barcelona must re-sign teenage defender Eric Garcia
- Why Barcelona should sign Francisco Trincao this summer
- Barcelona extending £140,000-a-week star Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s stay at the club is a great decision – Here’s why
Verdict
Iniesta’s departure from Barcelona has left a void left unfilled with the side still lacking creativity in their midfield. Though De Jong has impressed, he is not a goal-scoring playmaker and Almada’s arrival can sort out that issue. Having impressed for Velez at such a young age, he could prove to be an excellent investment by the club.
