Why Caglar Soyuncu to Barcelona would improve their defence
As per Turkey’s NTV (h/t Leicestershire Live), Barcelona are keeping tabs on the progress of Leicester City star Caglar Soyuncu ahead of next season and could use him as a part of the deal that could see Francisco Trincao go the other way.
Soyuncu, 24, rose through the ranks of Bucaspor’s youth system in Turkey and joined Altinordu in the summer of 2014. After making 40 appearances for Altinordu in two seasons, he was signed by Freiburg, where he made 55 appearances before the Foxes snapped him up in 2018.
In his first season at King Power Stadium, he was the fourth-choice centre-back but Brendan Rodgers gave him a chance this season after the departure of Harry Maguire. He not only featured regularly this season but also became an influential member of the squad alongside Jonny Evans and helped them to the fifth-place finish in the league standings.
He has been in sensational form this term, and thus, Barcelona should make a move for the 28-cap Turkey international.
The Catalan giants, meanwhile, struggled throughout the campaign under two different managers and also lost the La Liga title to Real Madrid. Quique Setien’s men have been inconsistent throughout the campaign and they look imbalanced.
Thus, with the transfer window open, they should look to bring in reinforcements to key areas and add depth to the squad. Apart from Lionel Messi, no one has performed up to the mark and it is clear that new faces are required to improve the squad ahead of next season.
Soyuncu could be a future leader in Barcelona’s defence
One key area the manager should focus on strengthening is the backline. If not for Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in goal, their defence would have looked much worse than it is. They conceded 38 goals this season, which is poor according to their standards.
At the moment, they have only three established centre-backs in Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti. However, Umtiti has featured rarely this season and the manager had to do with just two central defenders throughout the season. Thus, a centre-back is a must in the summer if they are to perform better in the near future.
In that regard, signing Soyuncu seems to be a sensible move. The Turkish international has been a part of the fifth-best defensive squad in the Premier League this season and has already proved himself in the top-flight. He helped his side keep 13 clean sheets this season and was able to fill the void left by Maguire with ease.
His inclusion to Setien’s squad would definitely bring healthy competition, whilst also adding some much-needed depth to the squad. And if he is able to replicate the same form, he could go on to lead Barcelona’s defence in the future.
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Verdict
With Pique now 33 and Umtiti out of form, it is clear that the La Liga giants need to sign a young centre-back for the future. And Soyuncu would be an ideal solution for the club given his quick rise to the top. He could only get better with experience.
