When Joao Cancelo came back to Barcelona earlier this year, the collective intake of breath from culers was palpable.
Why would the club want to re-sign the right-back when Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo can both play there, while Hansi Flick also has Eric Garcia and Xavi Espart appeared to be the general school of thought.
Despite all the doubters, Cancelo has certainly gone on to prove that he has again been worth his weight in gold.
Forgetting Kounde’s injury problems just for a moment, he isn’t
as dynamic as his contemporary has been, and certainly struggles to get back and defend at times.
Perhaps his positional sense on occasion can be better than Cancelo’s; however, it’s the Portuguese who offers a little more in his all-round game.
With Barca always reliant on full-backs that aren’t just able defensively, but who can get forward with ease and be a supplementary attacking presence when required, Cancelo absolutely fits the bill.
Araujo has generally been used sparingly in the position, and almost always when up against Vini Jr. in El Clasico. Time will tell if the Uruguayan still has a squad place at the club after this summer, given his lack of minutes under Hansi Flick recently.
Where Cancelo also excels is his ability to play with equal aplomb in the left-back position, as it gives the squad options when and if Alejandro Balde is injured or off form, as has happened in the recent past.
At 31 years of age, the Portuguese is still as fit as a fiddle and gets up and down the pitch with ease. Though no spring chicken, it’s evident that he still has years left at the top level, and Barca would be ill-advised to allow him to leave, given the other options that they currently have at their disposal.
Of course, if it’s a matter of financial prudence, that could put a slightly different spin on things, but as the club continues to pull away from the dark days under Josep Maria Bartomeu, there have to be more creative ways for the powers that be to make money from commercial deals, which would ultimately ensure that there’s no issue in keeping on some big earners.
Cancelo has already made his feelings clear as to where he wants to spend the next few years of his career, so Deco and Joan Laporta need to ensure pen gets put to paper before the World Cup, where a high standard of performance from the player could alert other potential suitors.
