With Memphis Depay's addition to the squad, Barcelona have now got 10 forwards at the club. Obviously, that's a few forwards too many, so here's Tribuna.com's opinion on who should stay for next season and who should be offloaded.
Keep
Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero — it would make little sense to sell the players you've just signed on a free transfer. Besides, both Depay and Aguero would be an improvement to our squad.
Leo Messi — despite his age, the Argentine remains the best and most consistent player at Barca. The Catalans are said to be close to extending Messi's contract for two more years.
Ansu Fati — the 18-year-old is one of the most promising forwards in the world, keeping him is a no-brainer. Fati has already scored 13 goals for Blaugrana, that's a future top goalscorer.
Ousmane Dembele — the Frenchman is expected to miss four months and he has just one more year left on his contract. Instead of selling him for peanuts this summer (it's difficult to imagine someone being ready to pay big money considering the circumstances), it might be wiser to extend his contract, keep him for the 2021/22 season and decide his future next summer.
Offload
Antoine Griezmann (if good offer arrives) — the 30-year-old had a good 2020/21 season and is doing great at the 2020 Euros, so there might be someone ready to pay big to sign him.
Considering Griezmann's age, his big salary and Barca having enough talent to compensate for his potential departure, it's no surprise that the club is ready to part ways with him. Selling him for anything below €70m would be a crime, though.
Francisco Trincao (loan) — the Portuguese didn't get too much playing time last season, and next term he'll have even more competition. Loaning him out to a team where Trincao would play week in and week out makes perfect sense, especially if a high buyout clause is included.
Alex Collado (loan) — following his solid performances at Barca B over the last two seasons, the 22-year-old definitely deserves a shot at the first team. However, it's not easy to make the jump from the third tier to La Liga, and a one-year loan spell somewhere else could be beneficial.
Philippe Coutinho — it's difficult to say what else besides the occasional long-range shots Coutinho adds to current-day Barca. Even if it's at cut-price, the Catalans should try to sell Phil this summer just to get rid of his massive wages.
Martin Braithwaite — we already have a backup striker in Aguero, who is also better despite the age. With his decent performances at the Euros, Barca might be able to get a good price on Braithwaite.
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Messi in midfield, Griezmann at centre-back: Barca potential forwards-only line-up for next season
Now that Barcelona have officially announced the arrival of Memphis Depay, the Catalans have 10 forwards in their squad, as Diario Sport point out. So, it is technically possible for Ronald Koeman to send out a starting XI with only forwards in outfield positions next season, as Twitter user and Blaugrana fan talkfcb_ suggests.
Here's what it could look like and why we picked the players we did.
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen - Dembele, Braithwaite, Griezmann, Trincao - Coutinho, Messi, Collado - Depay, Aguero, Fati.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen — only non-forward on the team.
RB: Ousmane Dembele — good speed, decent crossing, and has played a few games at wing-back last season, so Dembouz could be the best option to start at right-back.
RCB: Martin Braithwaite — the only more or less physical forward Barca have got. Decent in the air as well.
LCB: Antoine Griezmann — the Frenchman has by far got the best defensive skills among our forwards. Those five years at Atletico Madrid didn't go unnoticed.
LB: Francisco Trincao — you need a left-footed player in the left-back position so he could cross the ball into the box. Besides, Trincao played a few games at wing-back under Ronald Koeman as well.
DM: Philippe Coutinho — although he's played mostly on the wings since joining us, the Brazilian used to be a midfielder, albeit an attacking one. Coutinho's amazing long shots would come in handy as well.
LCM: Leo Messi — the Argentine spends the majority of his time in midfield anyway, so why not just start him there? Obviously, dribbling, passing, vision, long-range shots — Messi has got all it takes to be a good playmaker.
RCM: Alex Collado — the La Masia graduate has played a few games in midfield at Barca B last season so he's used to the role.
RW: Memphis Depay — not his preferred position but will certainly do great on the right flank if needed.
ST: Sergio Aguero — the only out-and-out striker in the squad besides Braithwaite. Considering Aguero's 1.73m height, it's safer to have Braithwaite in defence than vice versa.
LW: Ansu Fati — played mostly on the left since being promoted to the first team despite formally being a striker.
Jokes aside, though, this is a clear indication that Barca should start focusing on offloading players, and they should start with their forwards.
3 ways Barcelona could line up with Depay
Barcelona have officially announced the arrival of Memphis Depay. Considering that Ronald Koeman personally insisted on his transfer, we should expect the 27-year-old to have an important role in the squad next season. Here are three different ways Barca could line up with Memphis.
Option 1
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen - Mingueza, Araujo, Lenglet - Dest, De Jong, Pedri, Alba - Messi, Fati, Depay.
Depay is not exactly a striker as he has a similar profile to Leo Messi, the difference being that he is right-footed so feels more at home on the left side. Thus, the two could be used by Koeman as inside-forwards while Ansu Fati plays as the out-and-out striker.
Option 2
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen - Emerson, Mingueza, Araujo, Alba - Busquets, De Jong, Pedri - Messi, Depay, Griezmann.
Just like at Lyon, the Dutchman could be used as a centre-forward. Having the trio of Messi, Griezmann and Depay play all at once would allow the three players to interchange positions depending on the situation. Messi could be a right winger or a centre-forward, Memphis a centre-forward or left winger while Antoine can play in all three positions.
Option 3
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen - Dest, Mingueza, Araujo - De Jong, Pedri - Messi, Griezmann, Depay - Aguero.
Another option would be for the coach to go back to the 4-2-3-1 formation which he used in his first days at Barca. Now that he was a proper striker in Sergio Aguero, the set-up could finally work.
