Suarez Mk II: Denis can take burden
off MSN at Barca in 2016-17
Jul 4, 2016
The in-form winger has confirmed his return to
Camp Nou and can provide the backup needed by
the Catalan club to ensure that their three elite
forwards avoid fatigue next season
COMMENT
If one thing was made clear from Barcelona's
slump towards the end of last season, it was that
they need another forward. As Lionel Messi ,
Neymar and Luis Suarez returned tired from the
international break in late March, everything went
wrong... but there is a solution for next season:
the Catalans have bought back Denis Suarez.
Suarez impressed for Villarreal in La Liga and the
Europa League last season, scoring five goals
and assisting 11 more over the course of the
campaign while falling just short at the semi-finals
in his quest to win the continental competition for
the second year in a row. He had been part of the
Sevilla side who lifted the trophy in 2014-15.
Barcelona were watching with interest. The
Catalan club retained a buy-back option on the
winger and, for just a cut-price €3 million and his
exceptional form, exercising it was a no-brainer.
"He's a player we value," Barca sporting director
Robert Fernandez said in March. "We looked at
signing him in the winter market but
circumstances meant we couldn't do it.
Villarreal's stance was logical. It's possible he
could come in the summer window. He's a player
that Barca could sign."
READ MORE | Messi has to stay at
Barca, says Guardiola
Suarez was born in Galicia and came through the
youth system at Celta before a move to
Manchester City, where he was voted as the
club's Young Player of the Year but featured only
twice for the first team.
He then moved to Camp Nou and spent a
successful season at Barca B before a loan move
to Sevilla for two seasons. He subsequently joined
Villarreal for an undisclosed fee last summer as
the Catalans retained a buy-back clause so,
naturally, Marcelino's side did not look kindly upon
the possibility of losing the player just six months
later, when reports first linked him with a January
return.
Barca's elimination from the Champions League
and their mini-slump in La Liga, which allowed
both Atletico and Real Madrid back into the title
race, highlighted the need for a larger squad and,
in particular, backup for Messi, Suarez and
Neymar.
Denis Suarez looks like just the man to ease the
burden placed on the 'MSN' trident in recent
months. The 22-year-old can play on either wing,
as a support striker, a false nine or even as an
'interior' in midfield. And he already knows Barca,
which means that adaptation should be fairly fast
and straightforward.
Asked about Denis in late December, Barca boss
Luis Enrique said: "He's an interesting player." He
certainly is and he has kept on developing since
the start of the year, meaning that the Catalans
would have been foolish not to exercise such a
cheap buy-back option on their former winger.
Hardly any top-class players - let alone forwards
- are available these days for as little as €3m so
bringing back Suarez is a logical move by Barca
to provide cover and give some much-needed
rest to their famous forward line, much as Pedro
did prior to his departure last summer.
At 22, Suarez will not demand a place in the
starting line-up every week but will be a useful
addition that will allow Luis Enrique to rotate his
pack and ease some of the burden on MSN -
something so lacking in recent times.
Young, cheap, talented, versatile, and with
experience already at the Catalan club, Suarez Mk
II ticks all the boxes for Barca in 2016-17.
