Barcelona: Setien identifies perfect Luis Suarez replacement

The new Barcelona coach seems to have found his perfect candidate to replace Luis Suarez whilst the Uruguayan faces a spell on the sidelines.

After months and months of speculation Ernesto Valverde’s tenure at Barcelona finally came to an end. The Spaniard left with a sense of regret. Despite his ambition he failed to fulfil the demands of the job. His replacement Quique Setien will be hoping he is the man to live up to the requirements at the Nou Camp.

The former Real Betis coach arrives with a lot of promise at Barcelona. Yet there is no secret he is not inheriting the best shaped Catalan side. Barcelona have been left in a jumbled state by Ernesto Valverde and the squad is full of promising players who are underperforming as well as ageing stars who are no longer the players they once were.

It is a difficult and daunting environment for any manager to come into but Quique Setien seems to have the mettle and the mental fortitude to implement a style which will get the Barcelona players firing again.

Unfortunately however, Setien has not been helped by the hapless injury crisis at the Nou Camp. Undoubtedly the biggest blow for the club is the injury of Luis Suarez who is expected to be ruled out for much of the remaining season.

That means that early on in his Barcelona career, Setien will have to be forced to turn the transfer window as the Catalans are lacking options upfront.

And it seems that Setien has identified a more than capable player to fulfil the boots of Suarez in his absence.

According to Mundo Deportivo via the Daily Mail, Setien will be targeting the Brazilian and Flamengo forward Gabriel Barbosa in the January transfer window.

Gabriel Barbosa was once tipped to be the ‘next Neymar’ but an unsuccessful stint in Italy a few years back halted his progress. He returned to Brazil and he has become a goal machine. He scored a total of 34 goals in 40 games for Flamengo last season on their march to the Club World Cup final and Setien will be hoping he can replicate the same form at the Camp Nou.

What do you think would Gabriel Barbosa be a good temporary replacement for Luis Suarez?