Arthur's regret: He feels he's leaving Barcelona with his best to come
He's overcome injury problems and has been working hard on his fitness
Arthur Melo's Barcelona career is coming to end in the worst way possible, sanctioned by the club, hurt by the coaching staff and with the feeling that an excellent opportunity has passed him by at Camp Nou.
At 23, the Brazilian believes he's leaving the club as he comes into his best form. He was just beginning to consolidate himself before the pandemic. In fact, Quique Setien congratulated him for his performance against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite the defeat.
The Barça coach, at that point, considered him an important player: before the lockdown, under Setien, he only missed one match, Real Sociedad, through injury.
Among his most intimate circle, Arthur has lamented that the transfer to Juventus arrives as he's feeling fitter than ever thanks to a special regime which he's been working on with and without the club. He has also been working with a nutritionist and notably improved his diet.
FOUR GOALS
Statistically, the player had taken a step forward: in his first season, he set up two goals, while in his second campaign he has scored four and set up four.
The Brazilian midfielder has overcome a pubis problem, something which had plagued him since the end of 2019. "Finally I can play without pain," he'd told those close to him.
Arthur also felt his life in Barcelona and adaption to the city was ideal for continuing at Camp Nou. He had even started to learn Catalan.
However, his decision to not return for the Champions League has led the club to open disciplinary action against him ahead of his 82 million euro move to Juve at the end of the season.
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