Manager Xavi Hernandez has asked his club Barcelona to find a replacement for outgoing defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets.
Barcelona will have two of their legendary players Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba leave this summer. It is the end of an era as the two players who won everything at the club will leave after many long years of service.
He also feels that the club will not get the perfect replacement from their academy the La Masia. And believes that signing a replacement is now of the utmost importance.
What did Xavi Hernandez say?
Before the final home game of the season against Mallorca, Xavi spoke to the press. According to BarcaUniversal, when asked about Busquets’s replacement plans, the former midfielder said,
“Whoever is the most complete, whoever is the best pivot to replace Busquets. We depend on fair play and the economic situation. The profile must be a very decisive player, a player who is strong to win duels and is intelligent, technically sound. [That’s] the natural replacement for Busi.”
He also added that the club is lucky Busquets was available for so long, “We’ve been lucky that Busquets has never been injured. Players eventually decide that they have to leave. Now it’s time to find a replacement because we’re not sure if we have one at home.”
Xavi: "You have to find that piece. If we want to compete well next year, it’s essential. Busi has been fundamental to getting the Super Cup and La Liga. We have to find a very important player to replace Busquets."
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) May 27, 2023
He added that the replacement signing is important if they want to keep competing at the top level.
“You have to find that piece. If we want to compete well next year, it’s essential. Busi has been fundamental to getting the Super Cup and La Liga. We have to find a very important player to replace Busquets.”
Barcelona: Who will they sign?
Busquets is a player that is a unique profile. While Barca has many talented midfielders, none of them fit the profile of Busquets perfectly. As such, the club has to identify a replacement with Busquets’s quality as Xavi has demanded.
Barcelona has allegedly targeted eight players in their search for a successor for Sergio Busquets. So far, the Catalan club has been interested in Martin Zubimendi, Joshua Kimmich, Guido Rodriguez, Marcelo Brozovic, Ruben Neves, Sofyan Amrabat, Arthur Vermeeren, and N’Golo Kante.
Martin Zubimendi is considered the player most similar in profile to Busquets. He also plays for La Liga club Real Sociedad and has been phenomenal for them. But he is unwilling to move and has a release clause of 60 million euros, a price Barca cannot afford amid their financial situation.
Joshua Kimmich is a surprise addition considering his importance to Bayern Munich. He is a versatile player and will be a dream signing for the club. While there are rumors of Kimmich wanting to leave, Bayern will not let him go at any cost.
The rest of the players are considered as possible alternatives should the first two fail to materialize. Considering Barca’s financial situation and the fact that they are also trying to bring back Lionel Messi, they have a lot of tough decisions to make.
It remains to be seen what Barca do in the summer transfer window to replace a player of Busquet’s stature.
