Busquets vetoed Arthur Melo's possible Barcelona return last January

The Barcelona dressing room prevented the arrival of two players during the last January transfer window, according to a report on Catalunya Ràdio's 'Barça Reservat' podcast.

Xavi wanted to strengthen the squad with a midfielder with good technique and final pass. He also wanted to add a right-back who could play as a centre-back. For the midfield role, he thought of a player who knew the club and who had not played many minutes at his club. The Brazilian Arthur Melo, at the time at Liverpool and now with good minutes at Fiorentina, fitted the bill.

According to one of the contributors to the podcast, Javier Miguel, Xavi wanted to know the opinion of the dressing room and asked Sergio Busquets about Arthur. The captain told him that he didn't quite see it, that he had led a messy life during his time at Barça and that he wouldn't be a good example for the youngsters. Weeks later, Arthur was injured, but Xavi had already put the player's return out of his mind.

Right-back

But Arthur was not the only player who did not join Barça in that window on the recommendation of a member of the squad.

To reinforce the right-back position, Xavi thought about Benjamin Pavard. He asked the French players in the dressing room and it was Ousmane Dembélé who recommended against signing him. According to the current PSG player, Pavard is a conflictive player who creates problems in the dressing room. Pavard ended up leaving Bayern Munich in the summer for Inter Milan on a free transfer, while Barça have managed to sign Joao Cancelo on loan.