Jose Arnaiz confirms himself as an alternative to Ousmane Dembele

Jose Arnaiz confirms himself as an alternative to Ousmane Dembele

LALIGA 123 | Barça B-Oviedo (1-1): El gol de Arnáiz / | LALIGA

The player is well-liked by Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde

He's playing really well for Gerard Lopez's Barça B at the moment

One of the signings made by Barcelona B this summer is standing out above the rest: Jose Arnaiz. The youngster has been impressing for the second string this season and scored a brilliant goal in Sunday's draw against Real Oviedo. 

Arnaiz arrived from Real Valladolid. It was a signing closed late in the window, on Aug. 27, after a complicated negotiation process. In the end, Barcelona ended up paying 3.5 million euros for him, with more likely to come in variables. 

A winger by trade, Arnaiz turned 22 in April. He is from Talvera de la Reina, which is where he took his first steps as a footballer before joining Valladolid four years ago. 

Last season, in the second tier of Spanish football, he played 35 games, scored 12 goals and created three more, impressive numbers for a wideman. 

They say Arnaiz is discrete off the pitch but he is sassy on it. His big strength is his directness. He's a pute winger, with pace and the ability to knock defences of balance. Intelligence is also a strong point: he can read games and has goals in him, something some wingers lack. 

At Camp Nou there is blind faith in Arnaiz from first team coach Ernesto Valverde. He has followed him closely and even more since the injury to Ousmane Dembele, given he's considered an alternative to the French international. 

If, as seems possible, Paco Alcacer leaves in January, Arnaiz is one of the main candidates to take his place. The only handicap is that if he's promoted to the first team, he can't return to Barça this season.