5 players Barcelona could sign as a replacement for Javier Mascherano
With Javier Mascherano on the verge of leaving Barcelona in favour of joining Italian club Juventus, the Blaugranas would be in dire need of a new centre-back. Such was the importance of Mascherano in the team that he was bought as a central midfielder from Liverpool but was converted into a defender.
Instead of buying a new CB, they opted to stick with the Argentine, which paid dividends for the Blaugranas as they won successive La Liga trophies and the Champions League. In totality, the former Liverpool man has won four La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey trophies and two Champions League titles to name a few.
He has won everything there is to be won by a player, which proves his credentials as a top defender. Mascherano’s Barca career has had a few jolts though; like the tax case where he had to pay more than a million euros in fines and could also lead to prison time.
He also earns a salary that is way below what star players like Messi and Neymar earn. Thus, it was time for Mascherano to call quits to his time at Barcelona, seeking a new challenge in Italy.
The following are the players who Barcelona could sign as a replacement for the Argentine:
1) Samuel Umtiti (Lyon)
Lyon defender Samuel Umtiti to Barcelona was a surprising report earlier this month as the centre-back still has a long way to go to claim a starting spot in the Barcelona team. He is a defender who can play at left-back and centre-back, just like the versatile Jeremy Mathieu.
His main qualities as a defender are shown by his thirst to win the ball back quickly, where other players would not commit and back off. He looks like a perfect replacement for Javier Mascherano, who also plays with that kind of intensity.
Umtiti can start attacks from the back to push the ball forward. Umtiti is incredibly comfortable in possession, suiting Barcelona’s style of play. Even though he is 22, he has shown immense leadership skills when he commented about the tiff between the new arrivals and the already existing players.
He can read the game brilliantly and is also an excellent man-to-man defender, who can afford to give the forwards an extra yard to run. The Lyon defender has all the skills that Barcelona could want while also being relatively cheap at around £15 million.