Barça are suffering from 'overbooking' in attack: who stays and who goes?

Barça are suffering from 'overbooking' in attack: who stays and who goes?

Messi ya entrena con el resto de sus compañeros / | FCB

With Lionel Messi now confirmed to be staying at the club, Koeman needs to decide who he wants to keep and who he doesn't

FC Barcelona still have a lot of work to do when it comes to finalising their squad for the 2020/21 season but there's a serious case of 'overbooking' when it comes to the attack. With Lionel Messi now confirmed to be staying, Ronald Koeman must make some tough decisions.

Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal are the big names who have been told they have no future at the club following the embarrassing 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich.   

Moving on Suarez and Vidal is one thing but replacing their goals and influence on the team, particularly that of the Uruguayan, will be no easy task. 

TOO MANY FORWARDS

As the club looks to secure a deal for Lautaro Martinez or Memphis Depay, Koeman already has a lot of options at his disposal. Messi almost guarantees 40 goals a season and then there's Antoine Griezmann and Ansu Fati as the most likely starters alongside Leo.

Griezmann scored 15 goals last season but a lot more is expected now his adaptation period is over. Ansu featured less but has demonstrated his immense talent on the international stage recently and scored 8 goals last term.

There's also a lot of hope when it comes to Ousmane Dembele and his undoubted potential. Martin Braithwaite appears dead set on remaining at the Camp Nou for another year, unless he gets an incredible offer to leave, which brings the total of current senior forwards to five.

Pie de foto | AUTOR FOTO

THE NEW ARRIVALS

Barça have added three more attacking players to their squad compared to the 2019/20 season. Between all of them they scored 24 goals last season, only a few more than Suarez managed by himself (21).

Philippe Coutinho returned after a successful loan spell with Bayern Munich. Injuries disrupted his own time there but he still scored 11 goals. His price tag - and salary - mean he will be given another chance to impress at the Camp Nou.

The other two are more signings for the future. Francisco Trincao, who has already made his debut in Portugual's Primera Liga, is slightly ahead of Pedri Gonzalez in the pecking order.

17-year-old Pedri finished last season with Las Palmas and has already made his debut for Spain's U21 side. However, he hasn't played at the highest level in club football but Koeman is willing to see how he performs in preseason before making a decision on his future.

STATS FOR THE 2019/20 SEASON

  • Leo Messi 31 goals + 26 assists / 44 matches
  • Antoine Griezmann 15 goals + 4 assists / 48 matches
  • Ansu Fati 8 goals + 1 assist / 33 matches
  • Martin Braithwaite 9 goals + 1 assist / 38 matches
  • Ousmane Dembélé 1 goal + 0 assists / 9 matches
  • Philippe Coutinho 11 goals + 11 assists / 38 matches (Bayern M.)
  • Pedri González 4 goals + 7 assists / 37 matches (Las Palmas)
  • Francisco Trincao 9 goals + 13 assists / 40 matches (Sp. Braga)

THE CHALLENGE: TRYING TO REPLACE SUAREZ

Suarez might be 33 but he still offered security in terms of goals and performances. He averaged 33 goals per season during his time at the Camp Nou and is the third highest goalscorer in the club's history.

The Uruguayan immediately connected with Lionel Messi, vital to achieving success at Barça, and the pair scored more than half (478) of the team's 902 goals since Suarez signed for Barça.

Suárez scored 198 goals for FC Barcelona. His highest ever return was 59 in the 2015/16 season and last year only managed 21. However, the only downside was his failure to produce on the big European nights away from the Camp Nou. The last of which came on the 16th September 2015.

LAUTARO and DEPAY are potential replacements

The two 'new' names on the wanted list for Barça this summer are Memphis Depay and Lautaro Martinez. The Argentine striker has long been regarded as Suarez's eventual replacement but, due to the financial issues at Barça and Koeman's desire to add a player he knows well from Holland, Depay has emerged as the frontrunner to join the club.

Pie de foto | AUTOR FOTO

Inter Milan are demanding a deal worth around €85m, beyond Barça's means this summer, whilst Depay could be available for around a third of that price. Although Lyon are prepared to fight hard to push that figure up.

FIRST CHOICE

Lautaro is undoubtedly Barça's number one target. The 23-year-old striker is coming off a fantastic season with Inter and is desperate to join up with Messi and establish himself as one of the best forwards in world football.

Depay is more versatile and can over any of the roles across the forward line. He's out of contract next summer so whilst Lyon can play hardball, they will ultimately need to cash in before losing the player for nothing in 2021.

Whoever does end up joining Barça will see the numbers of forwards at the club increase even more. With the ideal solution being to have two players for each position, it leaves three too many in the squad. 

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