5 players Barcelona can buy to bolster the defence

Barcelona were dealt a blow this off-season as both Dani Alves and Marc Bartra l

After a season which saw Barcelona live up to their billing of fielding the most potent attack in club football, the time has come for Luis Enrique to focus on other parts of the Barcelona machine. The time has come for reinforcements in the defensive department as Barcelona scour the markets for defenders.

Center back is a crucial point of concern for Barcelona with neither first choice center backs Gerard Pique and Javier Mashcherano getting any younger. Jeremy Mathieu too will need some replacing if not backing up. Barcelona needs players to bolster their defense and the search is truly on

With La Masia product Marc Bartra having been offloaded already and Dani Alves having decided to take on a newer challenge, Barcelona could do with a couple of centre-backs and a right back being added to the ranks. Here’s a look at 5 players Barcelona can buy to bolster their defense overall.

#1 Samuel Umtiti

Samuel Umtiti represents everything that you can come to expect of a top class defender. He’s proactive, excellent at challenging for the ball, clever with possession, can dribble with the ball at his feet and above all he is an excellent organizer at the back. Having risen through the youth ranks at Olympique Lyon, Umtiti has also represented the senior side over 120 times in the last five years.

He has also represented the French youth teams from the U-17s straight through to the U-21s and was called up to the squad for Euro 2016 after an injury to Jeremy Mathieu.

The French defender is an ideal match for a team like Barcelona and is young enough to further explore his potential under the guidance of Luis Enrique and a team of world-class players considering he is only 22 years old. In light of Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas’ admission as to interest in Umtiti from Barcelona, one can see the sensibility in signing him.

He’d come for a relatively lesser price than some of the other top center backs in the market and his experience in the Champions League at such a young age will only prove beneficial. He’d also improve the Barcelona defense if he keeps growing his footballing acumen over time and might prove to be a fantastic successor for either Pique or Mashcerano when the time comes.