Barcelona were bale to cover most of the cracks in their squad during this summer transfer window, bringing in Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu to cover the midfield, Joao Cancelo and Inigo Martinez for the defence, and Joao Felix for the attack.
However, despite having a largely impressive window, they have not been able to put up the results to show for it. In recent weeks, especially, Barcelona have struggled against pretty much every opposition.
They dropped points agianst Granada and Real Madrid in the league, Shakhtar Donetsk in the UCL, and put up a disasterclass of a performance against Real Sociedad and Athletic Club, barely escaping with all three points.
The need to reinforce the team further is clear, with the midfield struggling for control and the attack not potent enough.
Which is why it is not surprising to see there has been an internal debate at Barcelona about their January transfer window plans, as per a report by SPORT.
There are two options on the table for now: registering Vitor Roque, or signing a midfielder.
The Roque situation
Barcelona completed the signing of Roque in the summer for a base price of around €40 million.
The transfer was supposed to go through in July itself, but the lack of financial muscle did not allow for his registration then, which is why it was postponed to the January window, where Barcelona could revaluate their options and register him.
Since then, there have been contrasting reports about the Brazilian’s arrival, with some sources stating that the Catalans will not be able to complete his signing in the winter, while others claim it will go through without much trouble.
The Barça coaching staff believe that the team lacks offensive depth, and Roque’s arrival can potentially change the situation immediately.
The need for a pivot
While Romeu has proven to be a more than decent stop-gap option so far, some of his performances, especially against high-pressing teams have made it clear that he cannot be the first-choice option for too long.
Barcelona want to solve this issue in January itself, and are looking to sign a defensive midfielder on a short-term deal, or bring in a player on a six-month loan.
If they choose to go with this option, Roque’s arrival will be pushed back another six months.
