Home » Teams » Barcelona » 3 goals at the World Cup – Barcelona must hold onto this youngster and wave goodbye to 32-year-old instead

3 goals at the World Cup – Barcelona must hold onto this youngster and wave goodbye to 32-year-old instead

Why Valverde should hold onto Yerry Mina and offload Vermaelen instead

Barcelona have been low-key busy in the summer transfer window so far. The Spanish champions have loaned out Paulinho back to Guangzhou Evergrande after one season at the Camp Nou. It came as a surprise considering Paulinho’s impressive performances for the club. But Barcelona quickly found their replacement in Arthur. The club signed the Gremio midfielder for a reported €39million.

The Catalans also signed Sevilla centre-back Clement Lenglet for a reported fee of around €35.9million. They have also inserted a £265 million release clause in the defender’s Camp Nou contract.

The arrival of Lenglet would see Ernesto Valverde’s centre-back options bloated in the squad. The manager is going to have to offload at least one defender this summer and he’s going to have to pick between Yerry Mina and Thomas Vermaelen.

It seems as though Vermaelen is the smarter choice to offload, given the defender’s ripe age and inconsistency. The former Arsenal defender is now 32 years old and there’s not a lot more he can offer to the squad.

Thomas Vermaelen

Mina, on the other hand, is only 23 years old and is certainly one for the future. He has shown immense potential and growth over the last one year. The Colombian joined the Catalans from Palmeiras just last year after impressing in the Brazilian league.

Even though Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti are present in the squad, both Vermaelen and Mina were restricted to a bench role for the majority of last season.

Vermaelen made a total of 12 appearances in the La Liga last season, providing 1 assist. Yerry Mina was only able to muster a total of 4 games in the La Liga due to his lack of experience in Europe.

Valverde could use this opportunity to ease him into the squad next season. The defender possesses all the right traits and qualities to go on and become one of the best in Europe. He was impressive for the Colombian national team at the World Cup this summer. The 23-year-old scored 3 goals in just 3 appearances for the national team.

He is tall, strong, agile and very powerful in the air. The defender won an average of 4.7 aerial duels in Russia. He also averaged 2.2 successful aerial duels in the league last season.

Mina poses a huge aerial threat from set-pieces, which could be very beneficial for Barcelona in the coming years. The 23-year-old is also very calm and composed on the ball.

Read more: This 4-4-1-1 Barcelona XI with Busquets and this world-class PL star in midfield could win the UCL

Valverde should certainly stick with the Colombian, given that he has so much more to offer down the road. Keeping Vermaelen in the squad could turn into a huge liability. Mina is just 23 and the youngster is only going to get better as time passes. It’s a no-brainer that Barcelona should hold onto him instead of the former Arsenal man.

Comments are closed.