Why Barcelona cannot afford to let go of Frenkie De Jong
According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Mail), Bayern Munich have set their sights on Barcelona star, Frenkie de Jong. With Barcelona in a state of turmoil and cash strapped, the Bavarian side are looking to take advantage of that scenario and pursue De Jong after missing out on him in 2019.
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De Jong was signed by Ajax in early 2016 when he was just 18 years of age. Arriving from Willem II, the youngster took some time to settle in with the Dutch giants. He made just 8 appearances across all competitions in 2016/17, which also included a substitute appearance against Manchester United in the 2017 Europa League final.
However, in 2017/18, he finally started to come into his own at the club. He started 16 games in the Eredivisie and came off the bench 6 times. In the following season, he showed what he was, as Ajax rode all the way to the Champions League semi-final on the back of some fantastic performances. In 89 total appearances, he scored 6 times and assisted another 13.
Barcelona came calling in 2019 and the youngster made the move. During his short spell at the club, he has established himself as one of the best players in the club. The Dutch international has made 18 appearances for his national side to date.
Under no circumstances can Barcelona sell De Jong
It’s actually very saddening that a club of Barcelona’s stature find themselves in such a bad state on and off the field. The club posted a loss of £88million for the year and their net debt had shot up to £440million (source – Daily Mail).
Recently, they went ahead and implemented a wage cut for their players to reduce expenses. However, the fact remains that the club might just need to sell some of their assets, i.e., some of their valuable players to generate money.
Frenkie de Jong is perhaps one of the few shining lights in this gloomy Barcelona team. Ever since his time at Ajax, De Jong has been one of the best midfielders to emerge in Europe. He is, in footballing terms, a press resistant midfielder. There’s a certain joy in watching him play in midfield.
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Capable of resisting the press from opposition players despite not being the largest of men, his passing and control of the ball are a throw back to the glory days of Barcelona. It’s a shame that it has come to the extent that a quality player like De Jong and his future is in uncertainty.
It will take a lot more than just wage cuts to get the club out of this mess but selling De Jong shouldn’t be one of them. The 23-year-old is the future of their midfield and without him, they look a pale shadow of themselves. Absolutely under no condition or circumstance should Frenkie de Jong be sold by the Blaugrana.
