Barca English
Frenkie de Jong is on his way to be Xavi Hernandez’s fantastic bet in midfield. The coach has become convinced that the Dutchman is the best option to replace Sergio Busquets, whose exit is more than likely at the end of the season.
Due to the difficulty of signing a high-level player to carry out this complex job, Xavi will use the resources available in the team, and give priority to De Jong, who will become untouchable.
De Jong has taken an undoubted step forward this season. He started somewhat hesitantly after a difficult summer in which he was on the verge of leaving the club, but little by little he regained his best form.
Xavi has mainly used him as an inside midfielder, a position in which he feels comfortable, but already in the final phase of the season the Dutchman has formed several times as an organizer in front of the defense and his performance has been optimal.
Xavi and the sports district’s first idea was to sign a high-level midfielder to replace Busquets. And both Xavi and sporting director Jordi Cruyff were clear that the ideal candidate was Real Sociedad midfielder Zubimendi.
But the club’s financial situation and the La Liga salary limit make his arrival practically impossible for the €60 million termination clause. Faced with this situation, Xavi prefers not to bring in any new players and to make up for the absence of captain De Jong.
The coach was already trying him out in important matches and found the Dutchman’s reliability to be high. It seems that the upcoming Blaugrana midfield will be formed by De Jong in front of the defense, with the support of Pedri and Javi on the sides. The two young players have grown tremendously and are undisputed key players in the team.
What remains quite clear is that de Jong has become utterly unsellable, as the commitment to the Dutchman will be clear and resounding.
It is true that many clubs are very interested in him, but Barcelona no longer wants to sell him and he and his agents know that. He went from being on the market to being completely untouchable hoping to grow into the Busquets centre.
Source: Sport
