Barcelona look to complete signing of Wijnaldum
Ronald Koeman’s recent appointment at Barcelona has been a turbulent one with the shattering Leo Messi news and Luis Suarez potentially on his way out. Reinforcements though could be on the way in the shape of Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, according to Sky Sports.
The fall out from Barcelona’s disastrous end to the season feels like the culmination of a series of wrong turns, missed transfers and confused ideas.
Quique Setien was soon removed after the Bayern Munich humiliation, bringing an end to his short tenure. He was then quickly replaced with legendary Dutchman Ronald Koeman, famous for scoring the winner in Barcelona’s first Champions league triumph in 1992 against Sampdoria.
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Set with the task of rebuilding an ageing and slowing squad, Koeman has turned to a familiar face from the Dutch national team with Georginio Wijnaldum as the first acquisition.
The midfielder would immediately team up with compatriot Frenkie De Jong, who the manager is looking to build his side around.
Since his arrival on Merseyside, Wijnaldum has been excellent for Liverpool filling a number of midfield roles and delivering on the biggest stage, his semi final goal in the victory against Barcelona on the way to Champions League glory.
Wijnaldum doesn’t have the stand out stats on paper of goals and assists but in game he covers a wide variety of aspects extremely well.
Playing with a holding midfielder, Wijnaldum is given the freedom to roam forward and help link attacks and provide a passing lane for the attacking triumvirate Klopp likes to use. He is one of the best in Europe not just the Premier League when it comes to ball retention and efficiency of passing (90/7% accuracy last season).
This is vital in Klopp’s Liverpool tactics, where ball movement and retention is key. Making the potential switch to Barcelona would see him take up the same role as he performs for Liverpool and Holland.
With the potential return of Phillipe Coutinho to an attacking midfield role, a base of Wijnaldum and De Jong would ensure he could receive the ball in key attacking areas where he could unlock defences or take long-range attempts on goal.
Wijnaldum has a good sense for danger and covers for teammates well in vacated spaces and pressing the opposing player preventing attacks beginning. He also makes a solid number of tackles, winning 29 out of 37 last season. For comparison, Fabinho the team’s chief midfield destroyer won 53 out of 77.
Whilst Wijnaldum would be a massive loss, the sale of the Dutch midfielder would free the sufficient funds for Liverpool to complete a transfer for Bayern Munich’s Thiago, who has been linked to the club for what seems like an eternity now.
Thiago like Wijnaldum has shown the wonderful ability to retain the ball, using it efficiently and delivering the ball to the right team mate when they need it (89.6% passing accuracy in the league)
The two midfielders shared a similar XG in terms of goals and assists (3 and 1.3 for Wijnaldum and 2.5 and 1 for Thiago) but this does not underpin the difference they make to their team in terms of playing style, attack construction and defensive work.
Barcelona’s season recommences towards the end of September and the Dutch midfielder could be the first step in the construction of a new Barcelona and every side needs an unselfish, versatile player like Wijnaldum and judging by his past performances would slip into their current midfield easily.
Do you think this is a good signing for Barcelona?