BarcelonaWhen Barça sealed the signing of Frenkie de Jong in January 2019, the feeling at the club was one of maximum congratulations. Barça had overtaken other great giants of European football such as Manchester City and PSG to sign one of the brightest young players in an Ajax team that marveled at Europe for its bold and uninhibited football. Before landing at Barça, the Dutchman was named in UEFA’s ideal eleven as the Champions League’s best midfielder. However, despite being an exciting signing who generated a consensus in both the club and the fans, Frenkie has not yet finished finding his place at Barça. In addition, he now has extra competition with Gavi and Nico, heirs to Pedri’s impact last year.
“There are several issues surrounding the player. On the one hand, the mental issue, which is obvious. And on the other, a positional issue. He, at Ajax, was neither a midfielder nor an insider: De Jong was the center of action for De Jong. -3 of Xavi, he stays a little halfway: he is neither a pure midfielder (that is, more positional and seeing the field in the face) nor do I think it is an interior who likes to receive between the lines and wait for the and, here, a conflict is generated for him “, argues Sergi Hernández, journalist of The Sports and Barça analyst at RAC1.
Seeing the glass half full, Hernandez thinks Frenkie can “perform both functions.” That is, to be able to do so much of Busquets as an insider, but in his own way: “He is a player who likes to drive and Barça should understand his mechanisms and compensate them.” In this sense, the analyst resolves that if the Dutchman plays as a pivot, he would benefit if accompanied by a player like Nico: “He would be a smart companion who would compensate him, because when De Jong advanced lines, he would save the position “. However, Hernández warns that if Barça is committed to this ecosystem, the whole team must row in the same direction.
The vision of Ernesto Valverde
One of the factors that has not benefited the adaptation of the Dutchman is that, since he landed at Barça in the summer of 2019, he has recently coincided with four different coaches: Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setión, Ronald Koeman and, now, Xavi Hernandez. “He is a very good player. He has a lot of quality and he can adapt perfectly to Barça’s game. He is a guy with a lot of character, focused on football, but who has been affected by the changes and the situation of the club. recent years “, explains a person who was present in the negotiations to sign the Dutchman in the winter of 2019. Another source familiar with both the reality of Barça and Ajax shows that Frenkie has also been affected for the general decline of the whole team: “In the same way that Busquets is being questioned, De Jong is being questioned regarding the direction of the team in recent years: this affects the confidence of the players and their individual performance. “Ajax are also struggling individually. Just look at Ziyech at Chelsea, Van de Beek at Manchester United or how hard it was for De Ligt to join Juve.”
With whom Frenkie performed best was with Koeman, specifically between January and April last season, in which he uncovered himself as an inside with an arrival and a goal. A view that, then, contrasted with Valverde’s prediction regarding the former Ajax player, who when he was a Barça coach said in a press conference that he saw him “as the center of Barça’s future”. This Saturday, at a press conference, when asked what position the Dutchman sees in his position, Xavi stated that he can play both as a pivot and as an insider. The coach also highlighted his “commitment” to always want to play despite some “annoying” matches.
Transfer it in the summer?
But the most immediate reality draws a De Jong in which his performance is below expectations. That’s why there are people at the club who would be happy to open the door to a Dutchman’s sale this summer, because he is still a footballer who keeps a poster. But at the same time, there are voices warning of the risk of getting rid of a talented 24-year-old and seeing him succeed in other elite European teams such as Manchester City or Bayern Munich. The fact that the Dutchman keeps a sign in the big clubs in Europe is evidence, but it must also be borne in mind that, in a possible transfer, the money that the footballer has to collect due to the deferrals agreed by the pandemic. Frenkie, like Ter Stegen, Lenglet and Piqué, renewed in pack in October 2020 and part of his salary to be received for the 2020-21 academic year was spread over more years. In the case of the midfielder, he renewed until 2026. In fact, his record, located in the upper part of the squad, might become a stumbling block when it comes to negotiating his departure.
However, Sergi Hernández is in favor of finding a place for the Dutchman at Barça. “He is a smart player who can handle many facets of the game. In addition, according to the information I have from Amsterdam, he is a guy who is very good at his profession. level to be at Barça, is not failing because of football skills, but more because of the context and mental block. He has not just found his place. ” However, the analyst admits that it might be “juicy” for the Barça club to draw with Frenkie, as in the midfield positions it is “where Barça has the best prospect for the future”. The number one target is Erling Haaland.
