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Ernesto Valverde’s first move at Barcelona is a giant gamble

By Rucker Haringey

FUNCHAL, MADEIRA, PORTUGAL - MARCH 28: Nelson Semedo of Portugal competes for the ball with Niklas Hult of Sweden during the International friendly match between Portugal and Sweden at Barreiros stadium on March 28, 2017 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
FUNCHAL, MADEIRA, PORTUGAL - MARCH 28: Nelson Semedo of Portugal competes for the ball with Niklas Hult of Sweden during the International friendly match between Portugal and Sweden at Barreiros stadium on March 28, 2017 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona are set to take a big chance on a talented right back

Few would have faulted Ernesto Valverde for wading into things slowly at Barcelona. Instead, the club’s new boss has elected to make his first transfer move a giant gamble. The Catalan club are set to spend a significant amount of cash to bring a new right back into the club.

The target of Valverde’s affections is young Benfica defender Nelson Semedo. Reports from Spain claim that Barcelona will pay the Portuguese giants over £43 million for his services. At that price, you have to believe that Valverde believes Semedo will unseat Sergi Roberto in the starting XI.

This likely won’t be Valverde’s priciest purchase of the summer, but it will be the first of his managerial reign. That, in and of itself, makes it important. It may also give everyone significant insight as to how he’ll try to steer the club’s transfer policy in the future.

If he stays true to this blueprint, it’s going to be a wild ride. Semedo may prove to be an excellent player, but he’s still relatively unproven. The track record of Benfica starlets becoming stars in larger leagues is spotty at best.

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In fairness to Semedo, he’s done pretty much everything he can with Benfica. He was a consistent starter for the club this season and posted an excellent Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.37 in 31 League starts. It’s not as if his game was going to progress drastically without finding a new challenge.

Moving to Barcelona will certainly qualify. He’ll arrive at Camp Nou with massive expectations. Club officials and supporters have been highly critical of the way Sergi Roberto has handled the position for the past year. They will be desperate for Semedo to come in and make an instant impact.

Valverde will also be heavily invested in Semedo’s success. He knows that his first big move will be under a microscope. If the talented right back fails to become a star, it will reflect poorly on both himself and his manager.

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All eyes will be on Nelson Semedo if and when he makes his move to Barcelona. If he doesn’t prove to be a significant upgrade over Sergi Roberto it could start Ernesto Valverde’s managerial tenure on a very bad note.

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