Non – EU

Coming Saturday is the Spanish Super Cup, and FC Barcelona is facing a kind go strategic or not football related issues. In Spain the first division Laliga teams, they are allowed to have only three Non-EU players in any matchday squad. The same ratio is 2 for second-class football clubs (Liga Adelate). Second Division B clubs cannot participate in non-EU players. According to the La Liga Rules players can enforce their nationality from their homeland, or If a player does not have European ancestry, he can claim Spanish citizenship after playing in Spain for five years. Besides, players from the Caribbean, the African and Pacific (ACP) countries are not part of the non-EU category due to the Kolpak decision. In La Liga, players can also claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from or from your spouse’s citizenship.

Only three Non-EU players in any matchday squad.

The Catalan giants currently have six non-EU players. Coutinho, Yerry Mina, Malcom, Marlon Santos, Arthur and Vidal in the squad on non-EU passports. But both Yerry Mina and Marlon Santos are expected to depart this summer, and Coutinho is about to get the EU citizenship from his wife since she is from Portugal but the paperwork is getting delayed and if not by Saturday then by the beginning of the season he will be an EU nationality. There are many theories that why this only three non-EU player per match day should be allowed. One is to protect the rights of own citizens who are paying more tax, for example, a Spanish resident have to pay up 45% tax and at the same time a non-EU player need to pay only 19% tax and second theories is that the player association got this rule into play because of Louis van Gaal. When he was the manager of FC Barcelona from 1997 – 2000 and then 2002-2003 in a game his starting line up only had 3 Spanish players.

Whatever may be the reason Barcelona need to fix this issue as soon as possible better if they resolve the issue before the Spanish super cup game on coming Saturday, i.e., 11th August 2018.

Paul Pogba?

In last few days news are coming up from his agent Mr.Mino Raiola that he is trying his best to move Pogba from ManUnited to FC Barcelona. And Pogba also not happy with Manchester United manager José Mourinho’s attitude. What do I think? I think Pogba will be a good sign for Barcelona for sure; he is a good player and all-around player. Does Barcelona need him? No, Barcelona doesn’t need him. Why?

• We just got Arthur from Brazil, and he is the same kind of player and younger with not much experience, but he will learn. Especially after signing of Vidal. If we sign Pogba, we will not be able to play Arthur and not only that with Arthur the next generation midfield Oriol Busquets (19) future will be in doubt too.
• Manchester United is the top two or three richest club in the world, and it wouldn’t be easy to get him out from them. Plus if Pogba comes to Barcelona also, the fee will be too high including his agent fee who demanded 30 million from ManUnited for Pogba transfer from Juventus to ManUnited. After all this Pogba’s salary. It wouldn’t be cheap.
• No replacement yet. Manchester United don’t have any replacement player in their list if in case they decide to sell Paul Pogba to Barcelona. That’s why Barca is trying to get a swap deal done, in exchange for Pogba they providing André Gomes and Mina plus a sum of 50-60 million euro. But André Gomes is a different player now what he was two seasons back in Valencia.
• Frenkie de Jong (20) and Matthijs de Ligt (18) the alternative and for the future. Both are from Ajax, and both got the Barca DNA and Cruyff’s total football. We must wait for this, or maybe next season we can invest in them. They will be a great addition to the team.
• No more midfielders. It’s time for Barcelona to search a replacement for Luis Suarez. He is already 31 now, and we don’t have a position to position replacement for him. Barcelona got Paco but he is not getting playing time, or he is not able to convince Valverde to get a starting position. Kasper Dolberg the Danish player, he is too from Ajex just like Luis Suarez.

The Premier League transfer window closes on midnight of Thursday, i.e., 9th August 2018, after that Premier league teams can’t buy any players but they are open to selling them because other leagues transfer window will be open till end of August. If Barcelona misses on Pogba and if Ajax fails to qualify for Champions league in the game against Standard Liege a Belgian football club on 15th August then for sure we will see Frenkie de Jong in Barcelona.