Are Barcelona getting a better deal than Chelsea if they sell Fabregas to buy Rakitic? - 7M sport

Are Barcelona getting a better deal than Chelsea if they sell Fabregas to buy Rakitic?



Posted Saturday, June 07, 2014 by Talksport.co.uk

Are Barcelona getting a better deal than Chelsea if they sell Fabregas to buy Rakitic?

It can often be difficult to separate concrete transfer news from rumours, but in Barcelona two things are taken as a given at the moment. The first, that Cesc Fabregas is highly likely to be confirmed a Chelsea player in the coming weeks, and the second, that FC Barcelona will at the same time put the finishing touches on a deal for Sevilla's playmaker Ivan Rakitic.

The numbers, meanwhile, seem fairly clear. Chelsea will pay an initial fee of around €33m plus variables over the course of the coming seasons, taking Fabregas' price closer towards the €40m Barcelona had hoped to earn.

The Catalans, on the other hand, will pay a much more humble €18m for Rakitic, thanks to the fact that he only has one year left on his Sevilla contract. The question is: in signing Ivan Rakitic for only half the money they will raise by selling Fabregas, are Barcelona getting the better deal?

History will look back more fondly on Fabregas' time as a Barcelona senior than the present day. As the years pass, the goals will probably tell the story as people forget the details of the performances, but there's no doubt that the number four has struggled to consistently assert himself over the course of an entire season for his boyhood club.

Often going missing in the biggest games, his post-Christmas dips in form are a notorious problem for the Blaugrana, and while it's unfortunate that his return to the Camp Nou has coincided with a turbulent time for the club, the Barcelona socis (members) that paid for his transfer in the first place had understandably hoped he would grab the team by the scruff of the neck and try and dictate the pace of games more often.

Perhaps it's just a case of the right player at the wrong time, perhaps the constant shifting of his position hasn't helped, but ultimately the fairytale ending hasn't occurred with the return of this prodigal son.

The midfielder has decided that a return to the Premier League, where he is still highly valued, would be a much better way to spend the remainder of his peak years than in constant rotation and under massive scrutiny at Barcelona.

Sensing that Barca are running out of patience, Fabregas is jumping before he's pushed, and in working on a deal for Ivan Rakitic, the Catalan club are trying to move on as quickly as possible.

With Fabregas gone and Xavi both ageing and possibly following him out the door, the Blaugrana need new blood in midfield. Atletico Madrid’s Koke was an obvious and long sought-after target, but the Colchoneros have made it clear that they will build their plans around the midfielder next season, reminding everyone that his buyout clause sits at a hefty €60m.

Rakitic is considered the next best thing for Barca, and it's easy to see the attraction. Like Fabregas, he provides a significant chunk of goals and assists, scoring 15 and setting up 18 in 2013/14. The Catalan managed a slightly higher register of 13 strikes and 22 assists over the same period, but considering Rakitic was largely playing in a side made up of inferior team mates in comparison to the former Arsenal man, the Croatian's feat is arguably even more impressive.

The devil is in the detail, as they say, and crucially, Rakitic has succeeded in doing something at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan that Fabregas never managed to at Barcelona: he has thrived under the pressure of carrying the weight of Sevilla on his shoulders, driving them forward as captain and being at the heart of virtually every one of their best moves.

He was also notably more effective than Fabregas after Christmas, scoring five goals and assisting six more in the second half of the season in comparison to Cesc's solitary goal and four set-ups.

As noted above, there is a difference between rough numbers and the details of a player's performances however, and big showings on the big occasion like his man of the match display against Benfica in Sevilla's Europa League final win suggest he can deliver the goods at the crunch end of the competitive year.

Pulling the strings in the 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in March that severely dented Los Blancos’ league title hopes won’t have passed unnoticed by Luis Enrique, meanwhile.

There are no guarantees in football, of course, and Rakitic will need to adapt quickly and effectively to continue producing his best football. Both an excellent number ten and deep lying playmaker in a double pivot, neither of his best positions exist within Barcelona's 4-3-3 set-up, so he will need to evolve and work hard to grasp the demands of the style of play at the Camp Nou.

The rough qualities are certainly there, however. With excellent use of space, quality passing under pressure, vision, great decision-making and plenty of hard work off the ball, he has all the conditions necessary to triumph with Barcelona. As a bonus, he also scores goals and delivers brilliantly from set-pieces.

Say it quietly, but perhaps Barcelona are simply taking a leaf out of Real Madrid's book. If Rakitic can step up to the plate at the Camp Nou as well as his compatriot Luka Modric has at the Bernabeu, then it will prove to be an incredibly savvy deal for the Catalans.

That's a rare thing for a club accustomed to transfer catastrophes like losing Thiago Alcantara for half his worth or paying out significant fees for duds like Alex Song or Dmytro Chygrynskiy.

Fabregas, meanwhile, will most likely go on to perform excellently for Chelsea, his style of play somewhat ironically more suited to the to-and-fro of the Premier League than the more patient and disciplined football of La Liga.

Both Barcelona and Chelsea will be happy, then, but for the Catalans, off-loading a long-term headache in Cesc then using only half of the money to find a potential improvement will surely taste sweeter.

Which club do you think is getting the better deal? Let us know below...



Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.