Barely a few days into the job, new Barcelona coach Tata Martino is already getting his feet wet. He has welcomed back the senior players who were away after the Confederations Cup, and he has looked to alleviate any concerns that Cesc Fabregas may have about his future at the Catalan club. Keeping Fabregas would be a huge statement from the new Barca boss, but he also wants to add a new defender to the star studded squad that he. has inherited.
Barcelona's center back options are limited,
especially after PSG's signing of Marquinhos
and their refusal to discuss a fee for Thiago
Silva. The Brazilian captain, considered by
many to be the best defender in the world,
was Barcelona's first choice, but they now
have to move onto other targets. Martino has targetted the Premier League in his chase for a center back, with the likes of David Luiz, Jan Vertonghen, Daniel Agger, Thomas
Vermaelan, and Vincent Kompany on his wish
list.
The problem for Barcelona is that each of
these players is considered close to
indispensible by their current clubs. The most realistic of these transfers may be Thomas Vermaelan, with the Arsenal skipper having lost his place in the team towards the tail end of last season. Even then, it would take a huge fee for Arsene Wenger to consider parting with the talented Belgian.
Martino knows that despite the attacking
talents of Neymar and Messi, his side will not
challenge Bayern and Borussia Dortmund in
the Champions League unless they shore up
their leaky defense. It is now time for the
Barcelona board to back their new coach and
make the signing of a center back the priority.